Talent Search
by Stephen King Reincarnated
Summary: Darkward. Bella and Alice are captured by a group of vampires searching for talented humans to turn. '“I’m not in a good mood, so I suggest you keep your mouth shut, or I’ll carry you back inside one piece at a time,” Edward threatened.'
1. Capture

"In The Dark" Contest

Penname: Stephen King Reincarnated (Just call me King)

Title: Talent Search

Summary: Vampires rule the world, but that's no problem for Bella and her friend, Alice. They live in the safest, most boring town in America; Forks, Washington. Nothing ever happens there, until a small group of vampires come to town looking for talented humans to turn.

Bella knows that if they discover Alice's ability to predict the future, Bella will lose the only true friend she has, but what she is not prepared for is discovering that she too possesses a talent. However, will it be enough to save them?

Word Count: 12989

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I've never done anything like this before. I hope I'm doing this right. I just got this cool idea in music class and I haven't stopped thinking about it for the last five hours. I remembered seeing a bunch of entries for this contest, so I decided to see if I could pull it off. I hope you enjoy it. I'm sorry that this is delaying my other story. I'll get right back to it after I'm done.

P.S. I don't own Twilight or any of the songs Alice sings.

-

"Come _on_, Bella!" Alice Brandon, my wonderful, beautiful, eternally hyperactive best friend shouted from outside.

I finished tying my shoes and pulled my bag over my right shoulder. I opened the door and was assaulted by the 4''11' pixie. Her black hair was spiked and her blue eyes were glittering with excitement as she draped an arm over my shoulders. She had on a pale blue blouse and a white skirt that was just barely in the realm of school-appropriate. I had on jeans and a dark blue long-sleeved shirt. Even after a year, I still wasn't used to Forks' cold temperature.

"Christmas break is _over_, Alice. How can you be so happy?" I asked her. We walked towards her new yellow Porsche, a gift from her absent but ridiculously wealthy father. She'd visited him over the break. She skipped happily towards the driver's seat and unlocked the doors.

"I've missed you, and I can't wait to see the look on Jessica Stanley's face when she sees my new car!" She turned the car on and licked her lips as she heard the purr of the engine.

I shook my head, "If you two want to get a room, just let me know, Ali."

She laughed and we raced along the streets. I didn't worry about the police catching us. Alice was very good at avoiding them.

"How's your dad?" I asked.

Alice frowned. "He's enchanted with his new replacement daughter, _Renesmee_." She spat the name out. "I've nicknamed her, Nessie, after the Loch Ness Monster. It drove _that woman _up the wall when she heard that. I mean, how cruel do you have to be to call your daughter something like _that_?"

"I think it's nice," I commented.

Alice snickered. "That's because you like weird things."

I mock-glared at her. "Well that would explain why we're best friends."

We pulled into the school and giggled as we saw a few mouths drop. A small crowd began to form around the car as we got out. Even in three-inch heels, Alice only came up to my eyes. She strutted into the school with a confidence I'd always admired.

We walked to our first class, English, and sat next to each other, still giggling. Mike Newton sat down in front of us. He turned around and sat in his chair backwards, his arms hugging the back of his chair.

"Hello Bella, Alice. How are you on this beautiful day?" My eyes immediately went to the window and I cringed as I realized it was starting to snow.

"You're not getting a ride, Mike," Alice replied. The boy's face fell and he turned around to sulk. Alice and I exchanged a quick look and both of us pointed at our mouths, pretending to gag.

Alice's eyes glazed over for a second. "Heads up, Mr. Banner is planning a surprise quiz after lunch in Bio."

I nodded. "We'll study during lunch."

Alice was very rarely wrong.

We sat through our classes, sharing secret glances and smiles whenever another kid was caught sleeping. It was petty, but there wasn't much else to do in class. The bell finally rang for lunch. Alice jumped up gracefully and we headed towards the cafeteria.

As we walked, I tripped on an imaginary crack in the floor and nearly toppled over. Alice, of course, caught me without even looking at me. The halls were quickly emptying out as we hurried to buy our lunch. Jessica and her posse offered us a couple seats, which we politely turned down.

We headed towards our usual table and began to dig in. We finished lunch quickly and headed for the bathroom. It was a good place to study.

"What's the test on exactly?" I asked as I pulled my biology textbook out of my bag.

"Disease causing bacteria, if I'm not mistaken."

"That would be a first," I said, turning to the right page.

Alice's book dropped to the floor, and I knew something bad had happened. Correction; something bad was _going_ to happen. Alice never dropped things. I was the clumsy one in our little group. Alice was graceful and beautiful…and she was crying.

"Ali!" I exclaimed, grabbing her by the shoulders and shaking her out of her daze.

"Oh, Bella," she moaned. Her eyes focussed on me and she sobbed. "They're coming here."

I didn't have to ask "Who", there was only one explanation for Alice's panic.

Vampires.

We all knew that they existed. Occasionally they ventured out of their city in Volterra, Italy. Aro was their leader. He was ancient and cunning and, though nobody would admit it aloud, greedy. He surrounded himself with talented vampires. He organized a system where humans donated blood to appease them, so they didn't have to kill us.

Most of the time.

Occasionally, death row inmates were sacrificed to appease the ones who preferred to hunt down their food.

Most people tried not to think about it. We simply went on with our lives. Most of us had never seen a vampire in the flesh before, and that was just fine.

But now, they were coming here. There was only one explanation for the impromptu visit. They were searching for talents.

Occasionally, a human displayed a budding talent, which becoming a vampire could enhance. Aro was always on the lookout for such people. Sometimes, we heard rumours of vampires taking teenagers from their homes. I never liked to think about things like that. I was good at blocking bad things out.

For the most part, the searches were fruitless, but they were coming _here._ If they had that talent-sensor with them, they would find Alice for sure. I couldn't let them take my only friend away.

"How long to we have?" I asked.

Alice sobbed. "They just pulled into the parking lot. They have the talent-sensor, Bella."

I cursed under my breath. The warning bell for class rang. "Go hide in the bathroom stall. We'll cut class. Mr. Banner will just have to deal with it. When the coast is clear, we'll drive home." I physically had to turn her around and shove her towards a stall. Her hands were shaking so badly. I heard her struggling with the lock, not that it would do any good.

My own hands were steady as I packed up our bags. I zipped them up and turned around.

I almost screamed. I don't know how or why I didn't. Perhaps I knew that if I lost it, Alice would as well.

Instead, I stared at the vampire in front of me with a blank expression. I took in his features dispassionately, the way an uninterested student studied a cell under a microscope. His hair was a coppery, brown colour. His jaw was wide and neatly chiselled. He had thin lips and a pointed nose. His eyebrows rested heavily over hideous red eyes. He had on a dark blue shirt and black pants. He was pale and beautiful, but then again, they all were. He was leaning against the wall right next to the door. Our escape was blocked.

The second bell rang and he cocked his head. "What are you doing in here?" he asked. His voice was like liquid velvet.

I don't know what possessed me. I put the blame solely on my mother's modest use of LSD in college for the words that came out of my mouth. "This is the _girl's _bathroom. What the hell are _you _doing _here_?"

I waited for him the growl, or to kill me, either action would have been better than hearing him laugh. He started with a surprised snicker, and then shook his head, still chuckling under his breath. He moved smoothly away from the wall and approached me.

His head cocked to the side, as if he was listening to something. He frowned at me, and then his hand went under my chin. His fingers felt like icicles. He tilted my head up. His frown deepened.

I forced myself not to back away. Vampires rarely attacked unless provoked, but running sometimes set off an instinctive hunting reaction.

"I asked first. What are you doing in here?" he asked, enunciating each word.

I gulped. "My friend was feeling sick." There was no point about lying that she was here. Vampires could hear our hearts from miles away. It wasn't a lie either. I would be surprised if Alice didn't feel like being sick. "I was going to drive her home. She gets these really nasty headaches." I clamped my mouth shut before I could start babbling.

His eyes narrowed as he studied my face. I kept my expression blank. His eyes flicked over to the bathroom stall where Alice was hiding. He tilted his head again, as if he were listening to something, and his frown deepened.

"You had better come out of there, Alice." I sucked in a breath when he said her name. Did he hear us talking? Did he know? He growled in her direction and the hand on my chin twisted into my hair. He pulled on it roughly and I let out a squeak before clamping my mouth shut. "If you're not out here in ten seconds, I'll come in after you. Trust me; you wouldn't like that, Alice."

I heard her sob and listened as she fiddled with the lock on the door. She stepped out and wrapped her arms around herself as she saw the vampire. "Please don't hurt her. She was just trying to help me," she pleaded.

He removed his hand from my hair and I scurried towards Alice, wrapping my left arm around her shoulders protectively. As I did so, I felt the strangest sensation along my skin. I looked down and saw a very faint, white light surrounding Alice's tiny form. I blinked, but it didn't go away.

The vampire cocked his head to the side again, his frown deepening. He took a step towards us and Alice shrieked. I wrapped my other arm around her and began to whisper softly in her ear. I caught the vampire's expression change from hostile to smug and I glared up at him with loathing. I didn't care that he could kill me in an instant. Alice didn't deserve to be mocked like that.

He met my angry gaze with some surprise, and then glared back. I refused to back down. Maybe if I got him angry enough, he would kill me quickly. His expression morphed back into surprise, along with a touch of…respect?

He held out a hand and curled his index finger towards himself twice. He obviously wanted us to follow him. I kept Alice wrapped up in my arms. My balance was bad on the best of days, but her limp form was making walking more difficult. I stumbled twice before we even made it out of the bathroom.

The vampire led us down the hallway, towards the gym. I kept one hand on the wall to keep my balance. The vampire seemed to find my equilibrium troubles to be quite entertaining. He chuckled every time I stumbled and I glared at his back every time he did.

He opened the gym door and gestured for us to go in first. Alice was still crying and pressing her face against my collarbone. I led her inside, feeling like I was walking to the electric chair. The gym door slammed shut and Alice jumped. I brushed my fingers through her hair, trying to keep her calm. Her glazed eyes let me know that she wasn't living in the present. Whatever she was seeing, it was terrifying her. That did nothing to lift my spirits, but I didn't show it.

The gym was nearly empty, except for our principal, Mr. Melina, and four other vampires. The principal gave us a horrified look before his expression went blank. I didn't blame him for that. I probably would have done the same thing if I were in his position. I gave him an understanding look before taking in the vampires' appearances.

Two were large, easily towering over the vampire behind us. One had dark, curly hair and the other's was blond. The dark-haired man had on jeans and a black shirt. The blond man had on jeans and a dark blue, button-down shirt. They were speaking quietly to each other. The bigger one threw his head back and laughed at something the blond one said. If I didn't know any better, I would swear they were bodyguards. The thought of a vampire needing protection had never crossed my mind, but there were rogue groups of vampires that opposed Aro's laws. They were probably just there as a precaution.

The one on the far right, who'd been speaking with Mr. Melina, had dark hair and an olive complexion. That was odd, considering the paleness of most vampires' skin. He was the oldest looking one in the group, but that didn't mean anything when you were dealing with vampires. He had on black pants and white, long-sleeved shirt.

The last one was much younger. He looked like he was only thirteen or so when he was changed. He must have been very old since vampires very rarely changed anyone so young nowadays. It was something about young children being less in control of their instincts.

He had dark hair and the face of an angel. Even though, physically, he was less intimidating than the others were, he still gave off an aura of danger. He had on a black sweater and black pants.

The youngest looking one looked up as we approached. He smiled brightly. "Edward, where were you?" He looked at us and his expression became speculative. He looked us up and down. Alice shuddered and leaned in even closer to me.

"He traps you inside nothing," she whispered to me, even though she knew that the vampires could hear her. "But I don't think he can touch you, Bella," she added, sounding confused.

The two largest vampires stopped talking and stared at Alice, bewildered. I held her more tightly and stared at the floor.

_Edward _brushed passed us and answered, "I found these two in the bathroom-"

I cut him off quietly, without thinking, "In the _girl's _bathroom."

He glared at me and I glared right back. The big, dark haired vampire laughed. "Having gender issues, Edward?" he jibed. The corner of my mouth twitched upwards at that comment.

Edward sent me a warning look and continued. "They were hiding. The smaller one knew we were coming."

Confusion etched on the biggest one's face. He looked at Alice's shaking form. "How did you know that, squirt?"

Alice didn't answer. My shirt was becoming noticeably damp from her tears. I found myself answering for her. "She can see the future."

"Whoa! Seriously?" the big one asked, looking at me. He grinned. "That's awesome."

I was very close to asking if he'd been drinking blood laced with marijuana or something when Edward butted in.

"And I can't read her mind," he pointed at me and I froze. "She's blocking off the other one as well. Eleazar?" he asked. "Can you get a reading on either of them?"

The eldest vampire, Eleazar, looked at us. His eyebrows came together and he shifted his head side to side, as if trying to see around something. His eyes widened. "I can't get a read on them at all," he said in amazement.

"How about now?" Edward asked. He grabbed my arm and ripped me away from Alice. She shrieked and wrapped her arms around herself again. Her eyes were distant. I struggled pointlessly against Edward's grip. A wave of unexpected calm came over me. Alice stopped screaming but continued to cry. I looked over towards the other vampires. The blond one was staring at her with a look of concentration. Eleazar's eyes widened as he stared at her.

"Not only can she see the future, but she can also see things that are happening around the world in the present moment. It's called remote-viewing." He looked at me, his red eyes weren't cruel, but I could detect no kindness either. "She's still blocking me, but…" he trailed off, studying Edward. "I can still sense you, Edward. She can control it, select who to block I mean."

Edward finally let me go and I stumbled towards Alice. I wrapped my left arm around her again and felt that strange sensation. I stubbornly ignored the pale light that surrounded her.

Eleazar sighed, "And now I can't sense either of them. How _are _you doing that?" he asked me.

I stared at him, not comprehending. "I don't know what you're talking about. I'm not doing anything."

The talent-sensor shook his head. "She doesn't even realize she's doing it."

"Doing what?!" I shouted. I was getting sick of this. The only thing I was trying to do was to keep Alice from totally losing it.

"Shielding," he replied, cordially.

The youngest boy looked up at him. "You mean like Renata?"

"Something like that. Although to be controlling it without even knowing…" he trailed off, shaking his head. "Master Aro is going to be very pleased, Edward."

Alice sobbed. I shushed her, trying not to lose it myself.

Aro, _Aro_, _ARO_! That greedy, selfish, power-hungry vampire was going to be _very _pleased.

I bit my lip to keep from swearing aloud, although I was cursing that old bloodsucker to the deepest pits of hell in my mind.

"Alec?" Edward asked, turning to the smallest boy. He tilted his head in my direction, indicating what he wanted.

Alec smiled in my direction. Alice shuddered against me and I began to stoke her hair again. Alec's smile faded as he stared at me. His eyes narrowed in concentration. I tasted something like novocaine in my mouth. I ran my tongue along my teeth, trying to get rid of the taste.

"Can you hear me?" Edward asked me.

My eyes flicked over to him. "Of course I can." He smiled.

"And what about you, Alice?" he asked. Alice nodded her head, still keeping her face pressed against my collarbone. "Amazing," he whispered. "You can stop now, Alec."

Alec's expression relaxed and the bitter taste went away.

"We're done here. Thank you for your cooperation, Mr. Melina," Edward said.

Mr. Melina nodded stiffly, still not making eye contact with us. He left through the back door, which was closer to his office. He'd make an announcement soon about our whereabouts. He would contact Charlie and Renee soon.

I almost felt like breaking down into sobs as I thought about my parents, but I held strong. Alice needed me to be strong for her. I figured I could break down after she went to sleep.

The two huge vampires flanked Edward. "Eleazar, you and Alec take the Volvo. We'll take the Vanquish." The two other vampires promptly disappeared.

He reached out to take my arm, but I shrugged him off. "We can walk on our own," I said, stubbornly.

He chuckled. "How do I know you're not planning on running off?"

I looked down. "Well it's not like you couldn't catch us," I grumbled.

He couldn't find any fault in my logic and allowed me to lead Alice out the doors. The blond man walked behind us while Edward and the dark haired man took the lead. We headed towards the door to the parking lot. The door to the Biology room opened and Jessica Stanley stepped out into the hallway with the attendance. She froze as she spotted us. Her mouth dropped open.

I mouthed the word, "go" and she twisted around, stumbling back into the room. Edward chuckled and glanced back at me. I ignored him. It seemed like Mr. Melina wouldn't have to make that announcement. Jessica was probably texting half the school with the news.

We stepped outside. It was snowing more heavily and I shivered. Edward led us towards a black Aston Martin Vanquish. The blond man behind us went to the driver's door. He got behind the wheel. The dark haired man went to the front passenger seat. Edward took the seat behind the blond man.

It made sense to put Alice in the middle. She was the smallest, but there was no way in hell I was letting that vampire near her. I switched arms and pulled her into the seat on my right. I leaned over and closed the door for her. I was reaching for her seatbelt when Edward spoke up. "She doesn't need a seatbelt." I ignored him and buckled her in, trying to maintain contact with her. I heard him sigh in annoyance.

I was reaching for my own seatbelt when he grabbed my wrist. His fingers dug into my skin. I glared at him.

"I _said_ you don't need them." He let me yank my hand away.

"_Fine_," I replied. I turned back to Alice, stroking her hair.

We sat in silence as we drove out of town before Edward leaned forward. "Let's listen to some music, Jasper," he said to the blond man.

Jasper nodded and turned on the radio. It was one of those Sansa radios. It gave you information about songs, like the artists and titles. It had the numbers 1-10 on the front, allowing you to go to a station without searching through them all. It came to life and a country song began playing. Edward groaned. "Change it."

"Press number 3, Clair de Lune is playing," Alice said.

Edward looked at her. Her face was still buried in my shirt. Edward nodded his head and Jasper reached over to press number 3. As Alice predicted, Clair de Lune was playing.

The dark haired man in front muttered, "Whoa."

Edward smiled and leaned back. His right leg brushed against my left and I flinched away. He noticed and chuckled. His right hand began drumming out the notes on his leg.

I felt another wave of that strange calm settle over me. Alice visibly relaxed, but still didn't stop clutching at me. I looked in the rear-view mirror and noticed Jasper's red eyes focussing on us. "Are you doing that?" I asked without thinking.

Edward's eyes studied me. I tried to ignore his intense gaze.

"Doing what?" Jasper asked.

"Calming us down. You are doing that, aren't you?" I asked, not so sure anymore.

Jasper nodded his head slowly.

"Thank you," I said. If anyone had told me I would be saying that to a vampire earlier this morning, I would've laughed in their face.

Edward snickered at me, but Jasper was more sympathetic. "She shouldn't have to be so upset." I could see him staring at her in the rear-view mirror.

Alice suddenly jerked her head up violently. "_BREAKS_!" she shrieked. Jasper reacted automatically as another driver passed us, just barely missing the front of the car. The force of the deceleration sent me sprawling forward. I felt Edward's stone arms wrap around my waist as he pulled me back before I could go through the windshield.

I blinked and we were on the side of the road. I'd let go of Alice in my panic and she was once again sobbing loudly. Edward had me half-sitting on his lap, his arms still wrapped around my waist. He was growling loudly.

"That idiot is lucky we're in a hurry," he growled out. His cold breath washed over the back of my neck and I shuddered.

"Can I put my seatbelt on now, please?" I asked breathlessly.

Edward realized he was still holding onto me and set me down. I shakily pulled my seatbelt on and wrapped an arm around Alice. I tried to calm myself down. I was in a car full of vampires, and I was worrying about a little fender bender?

Alice was right. I was crazy.

Alice was muttering under her breath. I strained to catch the words. "Should've let it hit us. It would have been quicker. But I don't want to die."

"It's okay, Ali," I said, stroking her hair again. My own panic was long-gone in the face of my only friend's.

"Jasper," Edward's hard voice broke in, "Keep your goddamn eyes on the road, or I'll rip your head off. I do not want these girls hurt at all. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir," Jasper replied. He started driving again and we lapsed into silence. Alice stopped muttering and just stared at the floor with blank eyes. I didn't know if she was trying to see the future, or if she was just trying not to see anything. Finally, her head began to dip and she fell asleep. I leaned her head against her seatbelt and tried to make sure her neck wouldn't cramp up. I took my arm off her shoulders. It felt too tense and I tried to undo the knots that had formed in it.

Edward kept looking over at me. I made a point of not looking in his direction, but I could feel his eyes on me every few minutes.

Finally, I couldn't stand it anymore. I twisted around to glare at him. "What?"

He seemed startled by my actions, but recovered quickly. "What are you thinking?"

I forced myself not to answer him. I wasn't sure how far I could keep pushing. I turned back to Alice, ignoring him again.

He grabbed my arm and twisted me back so that I was facing him. "I asked you a question."

My voice had a mocking edge to it as I replied, "I'd tell you, but my mother always said that if I can't say something nice, I shouldn't say anything at all. So, _vada via cretino_!" I'd learned that little insult from an Italian exchange student. It meant, "Get lost, jerk!" and it certainly sounded like it.

His grip tightened considerably and I bit my lip to keep from crying out. The dark haired man in the front began to laugh hysterically, easing the sudden tension. "_God_, Edward. You sure have a way with the ladies. No wonder you're still a virgin." He twisted around and smiled at me. He had _dimples _for crying out loud. "I'm Emmett by the way."

Edward's grip loosened and he crossed his arms over his chest, looking like a sulking child.

"Hi," I said. My voice was softer now. I didn't have anything against him. He and Jasper were probably just following orders.

"Are you always so abrasive?" he asked, sounding honestly curious.

I frowned and looked at Alice, "Only when my best friend and I are being kidnapped by vampires."

He laughed. "Wow! Usually you guys act a lot more like her," he said, indicating Alice's sleeping form.

"Well it's not like crying will do me any good. Besides, how am I supposed to look after her if I start freaking out?"

Emmett's expression became confused. I noticed Edward's head cock to the side. He was listening intently, probably trying to find a way into my head. For the first time, I was grateful that he couldn't seem to hear me. "You're very protective of her, aren't you?" Edward asked.

I sighed, figuring that I might as well answer him. "I have to be. How would you feel if you knew every horrible thing that was going to happen to you?" I turned towards him. "She doesn't deserve this. Why don't you just let her go home? Her visions are subjective. She can't even "see" anything unless you make a decision. If she'd known you were coming, do you honestly think you would have found us? I've figured out plenty of ways to get around them, and so could anyone else. Why don't you just take me and let her go home? She's all her mother has left. Her father's going to feel so guilty for leaving her." I could feel myself beginning to tear up. I wiped my eyes angrily with my sleeve and gave Edward a pleading look. "Please let her go."

I shut my mouth. My throat was clogging up and I was sure I wouldn't be able to say anything more without my voice breaking. I didn't want to show any more weakness than I already had.

Edward was staring at me. His right hand reached towards my face and I struggled not to flinch away. He rubbed his thumb at the corner of my eye and I realized I was starting to cry. He tucked a lock of my hair behind my ear. "Amazing," he mumbled. "An actual, decent, human being."

I didn't like the way he was looking at me.

"You'll have to forgive me when I say I can't let your friend go. She's far too valuable, not as much as you, but still." He smirked.

I glared, angry again. "She's _not _a possession. Anyway, don't you people have enough power-hungry humans begging to be changed? Why do you have to go after innocent kids?"

He tugged on my hair and I felt myself tear up from the pain. "Because, _Bella_," It was the first time he'd said my name and I'd never been so scared of him, "none of those "power-hungry humans" as you so aptly described them have _one thousandth_ of the potential that you and Alice do. If you weren't so valuable, do you honestly think you'd still be alive after the way you've been speaking to me?"

I must have been going insane from the stress, because I answered, "Oh, am I _bothering_ you? I'm _so _sorry. I wasn't aware that being taken hostage by a frigging _leech _requires me to develop my refinement. If you don't like the way I've been speaking to you, why don't you just kill me? Cause I'd rather be dead than have to spend another minute with you!"

Instead of getting angry, like expected him to, his smile widened. He relaxed his grip on my hair and tucked it back into place. "You're very beautiful when you're angry. Did you know that?"

"Bite me!" I grumbled, hardly caring about my poor word choice.

He leaned in closer towards my face and I tried to back away. His hand went behind my neck and held me still. I felt my eyes widen.

_He's going to kill me oh Jesus Christ don't, _don't, DON'T!

Emmett's hand was suddenly on his shoulder, pushing him away. "Come on, Edward," he admonished, his voice a little shaky, "She's just scared. She doesn't know what she's saying. Don't hurt her. Master Aro won't like it if you hurt her."

Jasper was silent, but I could tell he agreed with Emmett. He was probably just too afraid that Edward would make good on his threat about ripping his head off. I was a little concerned about that too.

Instead of reacting with anger, as I expected, Edward allowed Emmett to push him away from me. He twined my hair around one of his fingers before releasing me. I shifted as far away from him as I could. He still had that sinister smirk on his face. I turned to look at Alice and found her eyes wide open. She must have woken up sometime during my little speech, which meant she'd seen what he'd tried to do. I could almost feel her looking at my future from every angle, trying to find a way to help us escape. Her head dipped down again and I heard her stifle a sob.

"It's going to _hurt_," she whimpered.

"Yes, it will," Edward told her, smiling widely.

I wrapped my arm around her, hardly noticing the familiar sensation that made my skin tingle. "Shut up," I said, turning around to glare at him.

He leaned in closer, still staring at me. "It's going to feel like you're being burned alive. You're going to be _begging _for death. It'll go on for days, and when it stops…" He lifted my chin up and stared at my throat, "all that pain will end up right here." He ran his cold fingers along my throat. "If you were locked in a room with your own mother, you'd be willing to tear her throat out just to make the pain go away."

I could feel myself starting to lose it. I squeezed my eyes shut.

_Must not cry must not cry oh God I want to go home!_

"We're here." Jasper's voice held a clear note of relief. Edward stopped touching me and got out of the car. I sat there frozen for a few seconds before clumsily undoing my seatbelt. Alice seemed more put together. She undid her seatbelt and opened the door.

I took her offered hand and made sure I was still shielding her. I didn't like the thought of Edward getting inside her head.

As I took in my surroundings, I realized we were at the private airport near Seattle. It was reserved for vampires only, which meant the surrounding area was clear of civilians. Even if we did manage to get away, we'd starve to death before we reached civilization.

Alice seemed to come to the same conclusion as I did as she went right back to clutching my shirt and crying. I brushed my hand over her hair, trying to forget how Edward's fingers had felt as they traced my neck. There was a stairway on wheels. It led up to a small, private aircraft. Emmett got out of the car and told us to head up inside.

"You'll probably want a shower and a change of clothes. I'm sure you can find something that'll fit you. There should be something to eat in the fridge."

Alice perked up at the mention of clothing. Considering my soggy shirt, I didn't find the idea of changing to be too repellent either.

We walked up the steps. I was grateful for the chance to stretch my legs. We walked inside the plane with some trepidation.

The main room inside the plane looked like the "after" pictures of an "Extreme Home Makeover" episode. The carpet was golden and thick. There were several large, teal couches and a big screen TV on the wall. There were wall-to-wall shelves of books, CDs, movies, DVDs and video games. It was decorated with several plants and an original painting by Solimena. It depicted the three royal brothers and another vampire.

Alec and Eleazar were sitting on separate couches, reading. Edward was behind a large, mahogany desk in the corner, going over some paperwork. Emmett led Alice and me through a door into another room.

It had the same golden carpet. They had furnished the room with two beds. Another door on the far wall led into a bathroom with a black, marble tub. It was more like a Jacuzzi than anything. From what I could see, the floors and walls were white tiles. There were no windows in either of the rooms.

"There's a closet over to the left," Emmett pointed to a wooden, sliding door next to me. "It has some extra blankets if you get too cold. The bathroom should have anything you need. Except razors," he added as an afterthought. He shrugged, almost as if he was embarrassed. "Sorry, but we can't really take the chance."

I shuddered as I realized the implications. Someone could cut themselves while shaving and one of them could react like the bloodsuckers they were. Or…

I didn't want to think about the people who _purposely _cut themselves.

"Um…" Emmett continued, looking around. "There's a TV and some movies if you guys get bored. The kitchen is near the front of the plane so just knock if you get hungry. We're still fuelling up so it'll take us about five hours to get to Italy. You might want to take a nap or something."

I checked the clock radio on the end table. It was only 1:58 p.m. Jasper must have been going a hundred and fifty on the road.

"Thank you," I said. Alice moved away from me and headed towards the closet. She could have a shower first. Emmett left and locked the door behind him. I almost snorted at how unnecessary it was. Alice laid out a pair of jeans and a green, long-sleeved shirt for me. She dug farther inside the walk-in closet and found a rose pink skirt and I white T-shirt with a daisy on the front.

I told her to take her shower first and began scanning the shelves for a movie. For the first time, I remembered that I'd left our bags in the bathroom at school. I cursed as I realized I didn't have my book, "Wuthering Heights" anymore. I wondered if someone at school would give the book to my mother. It would be something to remember me.

I realized I was starting to cry, and hastily wiped the tears away. Alice didn't need me breaking down in front of her. I needed to be strong.

I found an old movie I'd seen when I was a kid. It featured a bunch of music videos this comedian had made. I'd watched it repeatedly with my mom. I rubbed my eyes again. I needed to stop thinking about that.

Alice came out of the bathroom with her makeup redone and her hair re-spiked. I took the clothes Alice had laid out for me and headed for the shower. I didn't like the thought of her being alone in a room right next to five vampires, so I hurriedly washed my hair and ran the soap over my skin without being too thorough. I'd just taken a shower that morning, anyway. I felt the plane begin to take off as I dried myself off. There was no noticeable turbulence.

I didn't bother with makeup. I never wore it and I certainly wasn't going to get all prettied up for _him._ I dressed quickly and headed back into the bedroom/prison.

At first, I panicked. I couldn't see Alice, but then I spotted her curled up in the corner. She'd been intuitive enough not to wear any mascara. I wrapped my arms around her, shushing her.

"Oh, Bella. I just remembered, I didn't tell my mom that I loved her this morning," she lamented.

"It's okay, Ali. She knows you love her. Moms always know that. They're practically psychic about that kind of thing."

"_Psychic_!" Alice scoffed. "I should've seen that they were coming. I'm so sorry Bella. Maybe if you'd left me there, they would've just found me."

"Hey," I soothed, "There's no way I would've left you. You know that, Alice." I tried to think of something to cheer her up. "At least we didn't have to take that quiz in biology."

She gave me a little, hysterical laugh and continued, "I was such a bitch to my step-mom. Maybe if I'd been nicer, she would've let me stay for a few more days, and then they wouldn't have found me. I can't believe I nicknamed my baby sister after the Loch Ness Monster!"

I stayed silent, letting her let it all out. I was aware that the vampires could hear us, and so was Alice. She sobbed. "Principal Melina just called my mom. She's screaming." She tucked her face further into her knees. "My dad just punched a wall. He broke one of his fingers. Charlie wants to kill himself. Renee fainted."

I froze as I heard my parents' names. _Charlie wants to kill himself. _I wanted to ask if I could call him. I needed to tell him not to do anything rash. I couldn't live with myself if he died because of me. I knew they'd never let me.

The door opened and Edward walked in. "Can't you get her to shut up?" he asked me. Alice shrunk away from him.

I hated him.

"_GO TO HELL_!" I shouted. I grabbed the first thing I could get my hands on. It was one of the movies from the shelf. I threw it at him, knowing it wouldn't do any good. I was right. He caught it deftly and put it down on the end table. I was surprised at myself. I'd never thrown anything in anger. I rarely got angry.

I waited for him to grab my hair, or to insult Alice's cowardly behaviour. Instead, he told me to keep it down and left.

Alice managed to pull herself back together again. I put the movie on, but neither of us was watching it. Alice began to hum "The Song That Never Ends" under her breath.

"What are you doing?" I asked, confused.

"Keeping _him _out of my head. If he's going to be reading my mind, he can get used to it."

I laughed. "Try singing "I'm Henry the 8th I am". It's more irritating. But if you really want to, I can block him out again."

Alice gave me a speculative look. "How do you do it?"

I shrugged. "I just did it. I'm not even trying to do anything." I paused. "I get this really weird tingly feeling on my skin when I'm doing it, though. And I kept seeing this white light all around you." I shook my head. "I don't know."

Alice lapsed into silence again. I put my arm around her and she looked at her arms, twirling them around. "I don't see any light. I _do _kind of feel warm. It's a funny kind of warmth, actually." She shrugged.

The door opened and Emmett stuck his head in. "You guys want something to eat?" he asked.

Alice and I shared a look. "Eggs," we answered together.

"Sunny side up," I clarified. "And four…" I looked at Alice and she nodded, "yeah, four slices of toast. Please," I tagged on, not wanting to be rude.

Emmett stared at us, "Can you read minds or something?" he asked me.

My face scrunched up in confusion. "Uh…no. Why?" I answered.

He shook his head. "Nothing." He left, shutting the door behind him.

Alice giggled. I turned to her. "What?"

She shrugged. "I keep forgetting how perceptive you are. It's freaking them out. They can't understand how you know so much about them, like when you guessed Jasper's talent."

"Well, it was kind of obvious," I said, brushing it off.

"It wasn't to _me_, and _I'm _supposed to be the psychic. I didn't know what the heck was going on with me."

"Well," I acknowledged, "you were a little out of it."

Alice rolled her eyes and began to watch the movie. I tried to grasp the fact that _I _was freaking out a group of vampires.

Emmett brought us our food. I thanked him and we began to eat. I noticed that he didn't leave us a knife, so we had to cut our eggs with the sides of our forks. I tried not to think about why. I realized that eggs and toast might be the last thing I ever ate. I tried not to think about that either.

Even though it wasn't even 4:00 yet, Alice began hunting through the closet for some pyjamas. For some reason, I felt exhausted. Maybe it was do to the fact that I was using up so much of my energy trying to keep calm, or maybe using my _talent _was wearing me out.

I shook my head as Alice held out a long, white nightgown. I'd be perfectly fine in the clothes I was wearing. She shrugged and went to the bathroom to change. I rewound the video and put it away.

I turned on the lamp on the end table and turned off the ceiling lights. I decided it would be better to leave the light on while we slept.

Alice stepped out of the bathroom looking beautiful and delicate. Her crying fits seemed to have stopped. Now she was eerily calm. I supposed it had to do with the fact that we weren't in the same room as the vampires. I mentally prepared myself for our arrival in Volterra. I'd need to be in control for Alice. There were probably many more vampires where we were going. I bit my lip to keep from crying.

Alice laid down on one of the beds and I took the one closest to the door. I wrapped myself up in the blanket as tightly as I could. I covered my head and tried to listen for Alice's breathing to even out before I started to cry. Once it did, I realized I couldn't break down. Even though I couldn't see the vampires, I knew they were there, listening to us. I didn't want to give _him _the satisfaction of hearing me break.

I fell asleep with my eyes still dry.

-

I shot up from my bed, covering my mouth to hold in my scream. I looked around, frightened, and realized that it wasn't a dream.

"Did you know that you talk in your sleep?" Edward asked.

I jumped, spotting him leaning against the wall near the door. I scowled at him, hating myself when I felt my long-absent blush come back. "Yes!" I spat out, rising from the bed.

He tilted his head to the side, smiling. "I wasn't aware that I'd angered you so much."

"Well, I'm sure whatever I said, you deserve it." Alice woke up then, stretching her arms. She looked around, confused, and then she saw Edward. She shrunk away from him, even though he was nowhere near her.

His expression became smug again, and I glared. "Is there something you need?" I asked haughtily.

He looked back to me. "We'll be landing in about half an hour. Try to look presentable."

"Sure, I'll get right on that," I replied.

He laughed, amused, and left the room. Once the door shut, I began to make the bed. Sometime while we were sleeping, Emmett must have taken our dishes away because I couldn't find them.

Alice headed to the bathroom to fix her hair and to change. I made her bed as well. They had taken away our clothes as well. I hoped we would get them back.

Alice came out of the bathroom and sat down on her bed. I headed in and began to brush my hair. There was a packaged toothbrush in the medicine cabinet. My mood lifted somewhat as I brushed the gunk out of my teeth. They didn't have any floss, but that was fine.

I shut the bathroom door behind me and found Alice sitting cross-legged on the bed. Her eyes were closed. I draped my arm around her shoulders, effectively blocking out Edward's prying mind. I hardly noticed as the plane landed.

"Bella?" Alice asked, quietly.

"Yeah?" I answered, clutching her more tightly to me.

"Remember that first day you came to school, and I came up to you and told you that we were going to be best friends forever?"

"Yeah."

She opened her eyes and looked at me. "I was more right than I thought I was."

I hugged her and closed my eyes. "Oh, Ali."

The door opened and Emmett stepped inside the room. "Are you ready?"

_No._

I helped Alice up and led her out of the room. The door was open and Emmett indicated that we should go first. I wondered if he was worried that we would hijack the plane or something. For the first time, I wondered who had been piloting it.

I led Alice down the steps. Edward and the others were waiting for us. I looked around me and saw that we were right near the heart of the city. I saw the high, stone, wall that surrounded the city off in the distance. Alice's eyes cleared and she huddled closer to me. I didn't bother to ask what she'd seen. I was sure that I didn't want to know.

The roads were dark and deserted. Edward led the way towards the largest building in the city. Emmett and Jasper walked beside us while Eleazar and Alec brought up the rear. Alice wrapped her left arm around my waist and pressed her face against my shoulder.

The large, wooden doors opened and we walked inside. Edward led us through a series of hallways until we reached a brightly lit room.

I spotted a human woman sitting behind a desk. She looked up as we approached and smiled at Edward.

"Master Aro said to head right in," she explained, pleasantly.

"Good, I hate long waits," I muttered sarcastically. Edward chuckled and led the way down another hallway.

We reached two large, wooden doors. A young-looking, blond vampire was standing outside, waiting for us. She could have been Alec's twin, only her lips were thicker. She was dressed in a short, black robe. It reached her knees like a skirt.

She smiled widely as we approached. "Edward, it's so good to have you back." She looked around towards Alec. "Hello, brother. You seem excited." Her red eyes focussed on Alice and me. She cocked her head to the side. "My, my, Master Aro sent you out for one and you come back with…one and a half," she commented, laughing at Alice's tiny form. I didn't see what was so funny. Alice had at least two inches on her.

I glared at her. The girl's eyes narrowed at my boldness. She tilted her head to the side and stared at me. I felt a slight pressure settle over my skin. I didn't like it. I'm not sure exactly what I did, but suddenly the pressure was gone. I looked towards Alice and noticed that the white light around her was glowing brighter and thicker.

Edward turned around to stare at me. That awful smile widening as he looked at me. "I told you we had something interesting, Jane," he told the blond vampire.

I wondered what Jane had been trying to do, and then I figured it was probably best that I didn't know.

Jane opened the doors and we stepped into the main room of the building. It was large and brightly lit. The walls were pale marble and lined with pillars.

It was filled with vampires.

Alice whimpered and I ran my free hand over her hair. I felt Jasper using his gift again and shot him a grateful look. His expression hardly changed, but I noticed the corner of his lip curve up for half a second.

The doors shut behind us, and to me it sounded like the lid closing over my coffin.

A gorgeous blond vampire was suddenly enveloped in Emmett's arms. He spun her around and kissed her deeply. "Missed you, Babe."

He set her down. She was dressed in jeans, and a black shirt. "Missed you too, Monkey Man," she replied. In any other situation, Alice and I would exchange one of our secret looks, and then pretend to gag. Unfortunately, this wasn't any other situation.

The other vampires began to take notice of us.

"Edward, dear!" a female vampire exclaimed. She had caramel coloured hair and was just a little taller than I was. For a second, she reminded me of my mom. She had on a dark blue, sleeveless top and a black skirt. She wrapped her arms around Edward and he hugged her back.

"Esme," he replied, smiling down at her.

Another vampire, this one tall and blond approached behind her. He had on a pale blue, button-down shirt and black pants. He put his arm around her and I figured that they were together. "It's good to see you again, Edward," he said. I was startled as I realized he was the other vampire from the picture on the plane.

_Well, aren't you Mister Popularity?_

I considered saying it aloud and Alice giggled. I looked down. She was trying hard to fight a smile, but she began to shake her head back and forth, telling me that she'd seen what I was about to do and that she strongly discouraged it.

I felt the vampires' eyes on us and looked up. Alice buried her face against my shoulder again and whimpered.

"Carlisle," Edward began, still looking at me, "this is Bella and Alice. I found them in Forks, Washington. You're not going to believe what they can do."

The blond man, who I assumed was Carlisle, gave me a speculative look. "How old are you?" he asked.

Alice certainly wasn't going to answer him, so it was up to me to speak for her. "We're both seventeen," I answered.

Edward tilted his head. "You don't seem seventeen," he told me.

I snorted. It was an automatic reaction, but it was much better than crying over the fact that my mom used to say I was the only middle-aged toddler she'd ever met.

"I'm a little too young to be lying about my age." Carlisle and Esme smiled reflexively, a little surprised by my boldness.

Emmett threw his head back and laughed loudly. He grinned at me and then turned towards Carlisle and Esme. "She's hilarious! You should've heard her earlier." He laughed again. "She had Edward ready to kill her in less than an hour. Even if she _is _just a fluke, I hope Master Aro let's us keep her around for the entertainment value. She might balance out Edward's crappy moods."

"She's not a fluke," Alice muttered into my shoulder.

Emmett jerked his head in her direction, "She's not as fun."

I tried not to frown at him. He'd been nice so far…for a vampire. My eyes flicked over the room. Most of the vampires were still engrossed in their own conversations. Only a few were looking our way. I met their eyes without flinching away. I was too tired to feel scared. I just wanted to get this over with.

Alice whimpered. "They're coming."

_Where?_ I sent her, trying to trigger a vision. She nodded towards the end of the long room. There was a set of stairs, which led up to three chairs. They were made of a dark wood and had dozens of symbols carved and painted on with gold. They were obviously meant to be thrones.

The other vampires turned towards the thrones after us. I saw many of them looking at Alice with curiosity. I held her closer to me, trying to block their view of her.

I knew who _they _were. It could only be Aro and his brothers. I heard the sound of the doors on the far wall opening. Aro and his brothers stepped out. Renata, Aro's personal shield, walked directly behind him. I wondered how effective she would be against me.

The brothers had on identical black robes. Aro and Marcus had black hair, while Caius's was white. They were a few of the oldest-looking vampires in the world. They had been changed in their late thirties. Their eyes were a cloudy red and their skin was almost translucent.

Marcus and Caius sat down on two of the thrones, leaving the middle one for Aro. Instead of sitting down, though, he began to descend the steps towards us. Edward stepped forward to meet him, smiling.

"Edward," Aro sighed, his voice very soft. "Jane tells me you having something interesting." His eyes shifted to Alice and me. He looked at us, confused.

"I'll think you'll be quite pleased with what I've brought you, Master," he said, sounding arrogant. "Although, it might be easier to show you."

He looked back at us and snapped his fingers. "Bring Alice first," he ordered.

Alice's breath caught in her throat. She sobbed into my shoulder again. I had to stop myself from objecting. It wouldn't do her any good if we were stubborn now. "Go ahead, Ali," I told her, disentangling her arms from my waist.

She stood there, looking lost. Tears were pouring down her cheeks. I wanted nothing more than to hold her again.

Jasper held out his hand towards her. She stared at it for a second and then took it. Jasper led her gently towards Edward and Aro. I heard her humming the song "I'm Henry the 8th I am". I bit my lip to keep from crying. My teeth began to grind together. Alice looked almost naked without the light surrounding her. I wanted this to be over with so that I could protect her again.

Aro smiled kindly down at Alice's tiny form. He held out a hand and I remembered that Aro was supposed to possess something called "tactile telepathy" and that with one touch, he could see every thought you'd ever had. It was even more of a violation than what Edward had been doing. It was beyond me as to why the other vampires would put up with such an encroachment of privacy.

Alice lifted one shaking hand and Aro pressed his hand against hers. He closed his eyes for a few seconds. When he opened them, he was staring down at Alice with amazement. I saw his hand reach for her face, but Alice was already flinching away. "Don't fret, young one." He turned to Edward. "I'm _very _impressed, son. She'll be an excellent addition. I can only imagine how powerful she'll be when the transformation is complete." His gaze left Alice's face and landed on me. His lips quirked, "Speaking of power…I wonder how strong her shield really is."

Jasper led Alice back towards me. She looked at the ground. "It won't work," she muttered, more for my benefit than anyone's. I felt guilt as I realized that she was reassuring me that my thoughts were safe. I should've protected hers.

Edward flicked over to me and attempted to take my arm. I shook him off and walked determinedly towards Aro on my own. Aro seemed just as amused by my confidence as Edward was. I held my hand out like it was a great honour to touch me. I didn't care if I was being rude. If he had a problem with it, he could eat me.

I felt his hand press against mine. His skin felt different than a normal vampire's. It was more like shale than granite. I watched his expression. At first, it was simply pleasant, than it became confused, and at last, irritated. Alice was right, of course. I tried to resist smirking at his frustration. Finally, he dropped my hand and his face relaxed.

"Amazing. A child who can see everything and another who lets nothing out." He brought a finger up to his mouth and began tapping his lips. "So, Bella, was it?" I nodded. "You've found ways to trigger Alice's visions, as well as to confuse them?" he asked. Again, I nodded. "And your feelings for Alice allowed you to project your shield onto her, as a form of protection?"

"I suppose so." It made sense. It also explained why I wasn't shielding everyone is touched. I was subconsciously choosing whom to protect.

"Miraculous. The two of them working together in synergy," Aro whispered, staring up at the ceiling. "So tell me," he continued, facing me again. "What did Jane's attack feel like to you?"

"It tickled," I deadpanned, not liking where this conversation was going.

He laughed. "My, my, you _are _brave." He looked over to Jane. "Hmm, I wonder…is it possible for you to project your shield without touching her?"

I'd never thought of that. "I-I don't know."

Aro smiled down at me. "Let us find out then."

I heard Alice whimper out, "No, don't," and I knew something horrible was going to happen. Before I even realized what I was doing, I was spinning around, trying to get to her. Edward grabbed me. He wrapped his arms around me and trapped me against his chest.

I heard Alice scream.

I'd only heard screaming like that once before, when one of the buildings downtown had caught fire and a woman was trapped inside. She'd burned to death, and her screams had haunted my nightmares for years afterwards.

Alice was screaming even louder. Her skinny arms wrapped around her chest and she collapsed to the ground. I couldn't bear to look at her. I wanted it to stop. I closed my eyes.

_Stop, _stop_, _STOP!

And suddenly, it did. Even though my eyes were clenched shut, I could still see the bright light as if they were wide open.

I opened my eyes and saw that she was still curled up on the floor. She was crying, but it was out of fear, not pain. I noticed a thick, white light surrounding her like a bubble. A rope of light connected the bubble to me. I couldn't see where it connected to me as it vanished almost six inches in front of my chest. Even though the light was surrounding Alice, it didn't obscure my vision of her, and for that, I was grateful. I didn't want to let her out of my sight again.

Aro was laughing. He took a step closer to me and placed a hand on my shoulder. Edward let me go and I stood there, shaking with anger.

I hated them all.

"That was _magnificent_! I can hardly wait to see what you can do when you are one of us."

I didn't respond. I was too busy focussing on my shield. I wanted to make sure that there weren't any holes for Edward's prying mind or Jane's malicious talent. There wasn't. It was perfect.

Edward leaned in closer to me. I felt his breath wash over my right ear. "Do you have something to say to me, Bella?" He was obviously enjoying my discomfort.

"Go to hell," I snarled, refusing to look at him.

He chuckled. "You already said that. Can't you be a little more creative?"

I took a slow breath through my teeth. "Well, I was going to tell you to go screw yourself, but from what Emmett said, you were probably going to be doing that anyway."

I heard a few of the other vampires break out into startled laughter before falling silent as Edward glared at them. Emmett simply winked at me and kept grinning.

Aro put a hand on Edward's chest, apparently to keep him from killing me. What a nice guy. He gestured for me to go back to Alice and I did this without even looking back.

I knelt down next to her and wrapped my arm around her shoulders. The light around her dimmed considerably as I did so. I sat her up and she hugged my waist, burying her head against my shirt. I shushed her and stroked her hair. Suddenly she froze and looked at me in terror. Her eyes shifted back towards Edward and Aro. I looked as well and saw that Edward was allowing Aro to read his mind. Whatever Edward had been thinking, Aro looked delighted by it.

"Really, Edward? I never thought I'd live to see the day. Of course, it will be quite difficult to convince her, but you'll have plenty of time to work on it. And you _do _deserve a reward for a job well done." He looked over at me, his eyes dancing with delight. "And she _is _quite pretty. She'll be stunning as a vampire, but still, she doesn't seem to return your affections."

"I'm sure I can convince her," Edward told him. He too looked around to stare at me. I didn't like where this was going.

Alice tightened her grip on me. "It won't work. It won't work. She'll never love you," Alice said. I felt my mouth drop open as I processed what she said.

_She'll never love you._

_You're very beautiful when you're angry. Did you know that?_

_He's going to kill me oh Jesus Christ!_

He wasn't trying to kill me. He _wanted _me. I felt the blood drain from my face.

Edward was suddenly right next to us, kneeling down at eyelevel. "Your visions aren't always correct, Alice," he admonished. "All she has to do is make a decision, and the future will change." He grinned at me. "Isn't that right, Bella?"

"It won't work," Alice stubbornly repeated.

So quickly that I barely registered it, Edward had me on my feet. I panicked and felt my shield wrap around Alice again.

"I'd like to do this privately if I may, Master."

Aro nodded, still smiling.

"Oh," Edward paused, "and Jasper wants the psychic. I don't think he deserves her, but it's not really my decision."

I stared at Jasper in horror. His face became repentant for a second, before going neutral again. Alice curled up into a ball and began to rock back and forth.

Aro tapped his lips again, contemplating. "I'm sure we can work something out," he said finally.

Edward began to pull me towards the doors. I resisted the urge to dig my feet into the ground and instead turned around to look at Alice. _It'll be okay!_ I tried to send her. I didn't know if she received it, because she didn't react.

Edward pulled open the doors and dragged me away. They shut behind us, once again sounding like the lid over a coffin. He picked me up bridal style and whispered into my ear, "Hold on." The world became a blur and I did hold on. I buried my face in his shirt just as Alice had done to me.

_I'm not going to cry I'm not going to cry not going to cry, cry, cry!_

We stopped in front of a door and Edward put me down. My legs were shaky and I struggled to keep my balance. Edward wrapped his arm around my waist and held me up against his side. He opened the door and yanked me into his room. I took a few steps farther inside and turned around. My arms went around my chest and I started to shake. I could still see the rope that connected me to Alice. It went straight through the walls. Distance didn't seem to be a problem for me.

Edward locked the door.

My eyes scanned the room, looking for an escape. There weren't any windows or air vents to climb into. The walls and floors were stark white. An entire wall filled with shelves of books and CDs was on my right. There was a big screen TV hanging on the wall, and a media center that included a stereo and several rows of movies and DVDs. There was a large, black sofa in front of the TV.

I was trapped.

Edward turned around, smiling. "I apologize for the spontaneous change of scenery, but a few of the others were having some rather," he shook his head and chuckled, "inappropriate thoughts about you."

I shuddered.

He took a step towards me and I took a step back. He narrowed his eyes and suddenly he was in front of me. I flinched back and nearly toppled over. He reached out and grabbed my arms, holding me up. He smiled, amused, and suddenly we were on the sofa. He pushed me down and crawled over me, holding me down.

I forced myself not to cry. I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction. He brought his face up to mine and stared into my eyes. He began to stroke my right cheek with the back of his hand. "You have no idea how much I've wanted to do this."

I spat at him.

He pulled away from me and wiped his face off with his sleeve. I tried to wiggle free, but he wasn't having that. He kept one hand on my shoulder. "I think I can find something much more enjoyable for your mouth to do," he said, smirking down at me.

"You're disgusting!" I yelled, "Despicable! I hate you! You-" His lips crashed against mine, cutting me off. I screamed and began to sob, finally feeling myself break. His tongue slipped in between my lips and I tried to bite him. He growled and placed his hand over my hip. His tongue felt like a slug was slithering inside my mouth. I gagged and tried to turn my head away. He wouldn't let me. I placed my hands on his chest, trying futilely to push him away. It was like pushing against a brick wall.

Finally, he pulled away. "You're so warm," he moaned. He kissed away the tears that were leaking down my cheeks. "So soft." He latched his mouth onto my throat and ran his tongue along my pulse point.

I struggled to focus on shielding Alice. I _needed_ to protect her. I couldn't let my own fear get in the way.

"And you're all mine," he said.

Then he bit me.

-

Okay, that was _awesome! _I wrote this in like four days. I really hope you enjoyed it. I doubt I'll win the contest, because I've been reading many of the other entries. Most of them are terrific! I'd just be happy with some reviews. I hope I made my characters real. I know that Alice was kind of a wimp, but how would you feel if vampires were kidnapping you?

Good luck to everyone in the competition. Adieu, faithful readers.


	2. Power Unleashed

Talent Search

I guess I didn't win, but I'm overwhelmed by the response this story received! I had so many people demand another chapter, most of them asking very nicely, that I've decided to continue it. I've actually managed to come up with something resembling a plot for this thing.

I know things will be weird at the beginning. Try to remember that this is immensely AU.

I've also published Talent Search from Edward's POV. It might explain some of the things in this chapter, like Bella's ability.

-

It _hurt_.

There was no other way to describe what I was feeling without thinking about it, and whenever I started thinking about it, it _hurt_.

I was faintly aware that I'd been moved at some point. I couldn't tell if I was laying on a pile of feathers or a bed of nails. It didn't really matter. I couldn't concentrate long enough on anything other than how much it _hurt_.

Bright flashes of light danced underneath my closed lids. I wasn't sure why, but I knew that the lights were important. When I thought about the lights, I thought about home.

Thinking about home made the pain more bearable. I conjured up the faces of my family. I remembered Charlie with his brown eyes and charming smile. Renée gave me her hair and her heart. I loved them. If I remembered that, it didn't hurt so much.

Alice. I missed Alice so much. I didn't know how long I'd been changing. Maybe Alice was already finished. She was smaller than I was, so maybe the venom had already gone through her system. Maybe she wasn't hurting anymore. That was a good thing. It would be nice not to hurt anymore.

My lips clamped tighter as I felt the pain around my heart increase. I'd only screamed once throughout the whole miserable experience, when Edward's teeth sunk into my neck. My fingers twitched as I felt the horrible pain recede from them.

Was that good? Was I almost finished? Oh, dear God, let it be over soon!

Think about Alice! Think about her confidence and her grace. Think about her spiky hair and her lovely blue eyes…

Oh, god, her eyes will be _red_ by now.

I sobbed, but didn't open my lips. I heard a rustling outside. I could detect three people. I hated that I was able to do it. My pain free hands clutched at whatever I was laying on, and I realized I was on a bed. I bunched the sheets up into my fists, wanting any distraction from the increasing pain. I wiggled my toes and rotated my ankles.

"Won't be long now," I heard a voice proclaim. It was male. I knew that voice. I'd heard it before, but where?

The white lights in my head suddenly changed colours and the word _Emmett_ flashed through my brain.

Yes, that was it. Emmett was one of the vampires who brought us to Volterra. There was Jasper, Alec, and Eleazar too. And there was-

An almighty pain seized me and ripped my musings away. My back arched and I whimpered. The pain had receded up to my elbows and knees and it was collecting in my heart.

Oh, please! Don't make me lose that!

My head whipped from side to side and I heard my heart pounding. The agony made me want to screech and thrash around, but I resisted. The colourful lights behind my eyes shifted in time with the noises of movement outside, and I realized I could _see _them. My - what did Eleazar call it? - my shield was wrapped around them. I didn't know why. I had no desire to protect them. I felt the shield like a silk band of light as it pulled away from them. It was so easy to do that I found myself moving it every which way I could. It was enough of a distraction that I was able to keep from calling out as my heart beat like a humming bird's wings and finally stopped.

I held still for a second and then allowed my back to rest against the bed. I realized that the sheets in my hands were in ribbons and I released them. I took a breath and was rewarded with so many different smells. I couldn't even name most of them. Some were floral and some smelled like fruits.

I slowly peeled my lids apart and stared in wonder. Everything was so beautiful. I was in a dank little cell with no windows and no light and it was absolutely the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. There were little particles of dust floating around me. I inhaled again and tasted them. It was nice, but I couldn't spend my whole day eating dust now could I? I sat up slowly and looked down at my skin. My hands were pale white. I knew that to a human, they would be cold to the touch. I hated that.

I decided to stop brooding. "You can come in if you want, Emmett," I encouraged. I almost jumped in surprise as I heard my own voice. It was as if I was singing.

There was complete stillness outside before the door opened. I spotted Carlisle standing in front of Esme. I stared at their faces. The pale light from outside made their skin glitter with eight colour rainbows. I realized why vampires didn't get bored easily. If everything was as beautiful as this, I would never want to move.

Carlisle's face was set in a determined frown. Esme gave me a timid smile, but stayed back. Even Emmett looked cautious. The expression didn't look right on someone so massive.

I felt awkward. I suppose I should've been outraged or sobbing over the fact that I was now a monster, but, of course, I picked the most irrational response and acted like the new kid at school introducing herself to the class.

I tried to think of something to relieve the awkwardness. "I'm not going to bite," I finally said.

Emmett grinned. "Awesome! She's still funny!" Carlisle gave him a disapproving look for a hundredth of a second before shifting his eyes back to me. I felt my nervousness increase and wished there was something I could do to understand why they were being so cautious. I knew next to nothing about newborn vampires, other than they were used in armies in the south because of their strength.

My shield, which had so far been patiently and invisibly circling around me, made itself known by lighting up with all eight colours of the rainbow and wrapping around the three other vampires.

My breath caught as I found myself perceiving much more than just the physical world.

I knew if I made a move toward Esme, Carlisle would attack me. His mind was a whirlwind of half-formed thoughts about my physical and emotional characteristics. He wanted a chance to speak with me about my shield. He was fascinated that I was able to control it while still human. He worried that my temper would make me dangerous.

Emmett wanted to hang out with me. He thought I was funny and brave and that I'd make a good sparring partner. He wanted to teach me how to fight so that I would wrestle him before my strength wore out in a year.

I knew that Esme thought I was beautiful.

My shield retracted, apparently finished with its mission to make me understand. It settled back around me. I felt it caress my skin like warm silk as it circled me slowly. The sensation was calming and I closed my eyes. My shield disappeared, by my mind could still perceive it.

I opened my eyes. I had an internal debate with myself on whether I should make this new development known to them. My paranoid side won by a landslide with its pleas of _"Shut the F*** up!"_

I stepped off the bed and stood up straight. I made sure that I stayed away from Esme. Carlisle might have seemed nice, but I didn't doubt that he'd hurt me if he felt his mate was in danger. I bit my lower lip as the tension rose.

"Not that this isn't a barrel of laughs, but my throat is killing me." Honestly, the faint burning in my throat was much less painful than what I'd imagined. Now that I was thinking about it though, the burning began to intensify. I brought a hand up to my neck and ran my fingers over my scar. I touched the place where Edward bit me. I could feel a slight puckering of my skin in the shape of a crescent.

"Of course," Carlisle acknowledged. He took a cautious step towards me. I realized that he was carrying a large, white three-gallon tank. "Newborns have very intense thirst. We can talk after you've eaten." He stepped away from me quickly and shut the door behind him.

I stared at the white tank, trying not to understand. I could smell the faint traces of blood, and it could only be blood. It wasn't as warm or fresh as it would be from a human. That was the only reason I didn't claw and bite my way through the metal siding to get to it. I held my breath and unscrewed the vacuum-sealed cap. I gripped both sides of the tank and lifted it until the temperate liquid flowed into my mouth. The taste was like nothing I'd ever imagined. I gulped it down greedily, not caring that I should be disgusted. The burning in my throat was instantly soothed. Once I was done, I put the tank down. There was still some blood leftover, but I couldn't bring myself to finish it.

If I were human, my hands would've started shaking. I wondered if vampires could vomit, then dismissed that. I checked my clothes and was glad to see that I hadn't spilled any of the blood. I screwed the cap back on the container and sat on the bed. My breathing was a little hectic, but otherwise I was okay. Now that I wasn't in pain, I could think about other things. There seemed to be so much more room in my brain. I wondered about my family. I wondered what the kids at school knew. I remembered the way my shield had changed colours and the strange knowledge that I'd seemingly plucked from the minds of three vampires. I wondered about-

"Alice!" I gasped. I jumped to my feet, marvelling when I didn't fall, and froze.

Emmett cracked open the door and peeked inside. "You done?" he asked. I nodded hesitantly. He opened the door completely and took the container from the room. "You okay?" Again, I nodded. I crossed my arms over my chest and bit my lip.

He approached me slowly, as if waiting for me to attack him. I had the urge to roll my eyes, but I resisted. "Where's Alice?" I asked.

"She's fine," Carlisle said dismissively. He walked into the room, looking a little less anxious now that I was fully satiated.

The way he said it, as if he were speaking to a stupid child, made me mad. "I didn't ask you _how_ she is; I asked you _where_ she is." I knew that I sounded like a spoiled brat, but I really didn't care. Sometime during my transformation, I must have lost my grip on her mind. For all I knew, Jane could be torturing her that very moment.

Carlisle's lips quirked up into a smile. "Nothing gets past you. She's in a room like this in another area. It's dangerous to put newborns together. Oftentimes, they end up killing each other."

I sucked in a breath. Would I hurt Alice if I saw her? I didn't feel dangerous. All I felt was the desperate need to keep her safe. "I don't want to hurt her." I felt my eyes prick with tears that wouldn't fall.

Esme stepped quickly over to me. Carlisle opened his mouth to warn her, but she wrapped her arms around me, heedless of the perceived danger. Her arms were warm instead of cold, but that made sense. We were the same temperature now. "Now, now, we know that. You're a very good friend to her. Ignore my husband; he's completely tactless." I felt my lower lip tremble and smiled.

"Weird," Emmett muttered. Esme allowed me to back away from her grip.

"What's weird?" I asked, staring at him.

Emmett grinned sheepishly. He scratched a patch of his hair. "You're so…calm. It's weird. I kind of expected you to start clawing at the walls like the others. And I've never seen a newborn eat without spilling all over the place."

Esme gave him a warning look. "Excuse him, tactlessness must be an inherited trait," she told me. I wondered at her choice of wording. Emmett and Carlisle looked nothing alike, so I assumed she didn't mean that they were related.

I brushed my multi-coloured shield against Esme's mind, and realized that the answer was obvious. "Oh, Carlisle turned Emmett," I thought aloud. The three vampires stared at me. I found one good thing about being a vampire; I didn't blush anymore. I looked hesitantly at Esme. "Am I right?" I asked, even though I knew I was, just like I knew that Alice was _not _fine.

I glared at Carlisle, feeling slight satisfaction when he took a step back. "You lied when you said Alice was fine. There's something wrong with her, isn't there?" I glared at them.

Emmett shrugged. "You might as well tell her, she'll figure it out on her own if you don't." When it was clear that neither Carlisle nor Esme were going to say anything, Emmett sighed and turned to me. "She went through the transformation and came out of it an hour before you did. We fed her, she made a total mess of herself, and then she collapsed in the corner of her room and hasn't moved since. Her eyes won't focus and sometimes she screams for no reason. Jasper even tried shaking her, but she's totally limp. He says she's feeling extremely frightened." He shrugged. "That's about it."

I froze in shock. "Why didn't you tell me this earlier?" I demanded, advancing on him. He backed away with his hands up in a sign of surrender. Carlisle frowned and pushed Esme behind him. "I want to see her." Emmett looked helplessly at Carlisle, but the man didn't offer any guidance.

"It's kind of…not allowed," Emmett stuttered out. I growled at him and then slammed a hand over my mouth, terrified. I realized that I was very close to hurting him and took a deep breath.

"Fine, if you won't show me where she is, I'll find her myself." I took some satisfaction from watching their mouths drop open as I walked calmly to the door, before Carlisle put a hand on my shoulder. I was very close to growling at him, when he spoke.

"We'll take you to her, but we'll keep Jasper and Emmett around to deal with any problems that might come up." That was acceptable, if a bit annoying. Carlisle opened the door and let me out of my cell. He took the lead while Emmett walked beside me and Esme walked behind me. I felt like I was being led to the electric chair again.

Carlisle led us through several dank tunnels and I realized with a start that we were deep underground. I could pick up the faint sounds of movement from the other vampires above me, but I couldn't make out any conversations. The tunnels themselves seemed to be designed to confuse you. Many of them led to dead ends. I wondered how many newborn vampires had slipped out of their cells and gotten lost in these tunnels before being found. I wondered how long I would be stuck down here.

Finally, after almost five minutes of rapid walking, we made our way down a final hall and I spotted Jasper leaning against the door of another cell. His face was sombre and he looked exhausted. I did a double take as I realized that his face and neck were covered with scars. My eyes scanned the rest of him automatically and I saw several others along his arms. None of the others seemed to have that many scars. I wondered how he had gotten them all. They made him scream danger. Any vampires who'd fought him and not finished the job were probably dead.

He looked at us as we approached and his mouth dropped open as he saw me. I felt the urge to blush again, and looked away from his awestruck gaze. "What is she doing out here, Carlisle?" he demanded. I looked up and realized he had taken up a fighting stance. The last thing I wanted to do was to fight Jasper.

I summoned my courage. "I want to see Alice," I demanded. Jasper met my gaze with disbelief.

Emmett held up his hands as Jasper started to protest. "I think she'll be okay. She's like, super controlled or something. She hasn't gone for anyone's throat or anything," he told him. Esme gave him another long-suffering look.

"I need to see her. Maybe I can fix her," I explained. I saw Jasper's hostility shrink away, replaced by something like hope. He opened the door slowly and peeked inside. He nodded and ushered me in. He and Emmett followed me as I stepped inside.

Alice's cell was exactly like mine, except that the bed was overturned and there were stains of blood on the floor. I ignored the blood, much to Jasper's obvious disbelief and made my way over to where Alice was curled up in the corner. She was motionless. I detected the faint smell of blood that had sunk into her clothes. Her t-shirt was a mess.

I felt my shield react as I spotted her. It wrapped around her, glowing bright white. Alice twitched. I rushed to her and knelt down. I wrapped my arms around her and my shield began to change colours again.

I saw the eight-colour rainbow from behind my closed eyes. I could sense Alice's anxiety and fear. And the _guilt_! Oh, she was so _guilty_. She hated herself for letting something like this happen. She was so scared that I would hate her for not protecting me from Edward.

I flinched as I remembered the way Edward had kissed me.

"Oh, Ali, it wasn't your fault," I told her. However, that wasn't all she felt guilty for. She liked Jasper. He protected her and comforted her. While she had burned, he'd stood by her side and told her that everything would be all right. She hated that she could be cared for while I was treated like a piece of meat. It wasn't fair.

She'd seen what Edward had done to me. She knew that he would do everything in his power to make me his. She knew that I hated him.

"Alice, I don't hate you. Everything's going to be all right. Please, can you say something to me?" I begged.

Alice shuddered. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm sorry…" she repeated repeatedly in her new bell-like voice.

I pulled her closer to me and rubbed her back. "It's okay, Alice. I understand." I hushed her and she slowly uncurled herself and stood up with my help.

Her face was perfect now. Every miniscule flaw had been smoothed out. Any remnant of teenage acne was gone. She looked tired. Her bright red eyes had dark circles underneath them. Her expression was sombre and pinched, as if she were in pain. She glanced behind me toward the door. She cringed back as she spotted Emmett. Her hand clenched my arm tightly. "It's okay. They won't hurt us."

Alice continued to stare at them, but her grip loosened. I glanced over my shoulder and saw the others watching us warily. "Can I stay with her? I don't want to leave her alone again," I explained.

Carlisle's mouth drew into a thin line. I thought he was going to say no, but he nodded his head once. "We'll be back soon," he said. They left us alone. When I was sure that they were out of earshot, I slid to the ground with my back to the wall. Alice sat down beside me.

"I wish I hadn't forgotten my book bag. I could read Wuthering Heights while we're waiting for…whatever they want with us."

Alice sighed. "You've read that book a thousand times, Bella." We lapsed back into silence before the tension became too much for me.

I looked at Alice, trying to find something to say. "How are your visions?" I asked. I could only assume that they'd become more powerful, but I wanted to know the details.

Alice looked toward the ceiling and laughed. "It's like…all I've ever seen were flashes of pictures. Now, it's like I can see a whole video play out in my head. The visions are so much clearer too. What about you?"

I knew she meant my shield. I wondered if I'd used my new ability on Alice while I was still human. I knew her inside and out, so there was no way of telling if any of my knowledge had been the result of the bond between our minds. It could also explain the other things I'd figured out

I opened my mouth to explain, when I heard voices in the distance. Alice heard them too and flinched into the wall.

"Unbelievable. And you say she calmed herself down?" I found myself snarling quietly as I recognized the whispery excitement of Aro's voice.

"Yes, Aro." That was Carlisle. He sounded very pleased. I looked at Alice. Her face was set in a frown, but she didn't look panicked.

"What's going on?" I asked her quietly.

"They want to test your shield, and my visions," she answered. Her hands clenched into fists.

I laughed bitterly. "Great, a test. I'd rather be in Biology right now."

Alice didn't smile.

We both froze as the door opened to reveal Aro, Carlisle, and two other vampires. Renata was absent. One was large, with dark hair. The other was shorter, but still muscular. His hair was dark blond. He frowned at us, and I felt something brush against my shield. It reacted by wrapping itself tightly around Alice and I. Alice sighed as it did so. She looked content.

Aro stepped forward. Alice flinched away from him and gripped my arm tightly. He held up his hands in a sign of peace. "Now, now, dear ones, I have no intention of harming you." Carlisle and the two other vampires gazed at us. They were prepared to attack if we so much as flinched in his direction. "I opted not to bring Jane. Your shield would make her ability useless, anyway. Please, allow me to introduce you to several others in the guard." He gestured to the tall, dark-haired vampire. "This is Felix." He then gestured to the frowning, blond vampire. "And this is Demetri."

Demetri lifted the corners of his lips into what passed as a smile. "It is a pleasure to meet you," he said cordially.

"The pleasure's all yours," I snapped. I saw Felix grin. Demetri frowned and tried to elbow him in the ribs, but Felix was too quick. What could have escaladed into a fight halted immediately when Aro turned to glare at them.

Alice twisted my arm as soon as he turned. She grabbed Aro's robe and sent him crashing into the wall on our right. She then bolted from the room with me in tow. I'd never run so fast in my life. The vampires behind us were startled, but they didn't pursue immediately. I could tell that they were looking to Aro for instructions. I knew that we would get lost if we started choosing turns blindly. Alice was concentrating on which way to go, but there were so many possibilities and so many dead ends.

I kept part of my shield wrapped around Alice and me, but I found that I could project the colourful shield away from me, while still keeping our minds safe. I latched onto Carlisle's mind and tried to find out which ways would lead us to the surface and how to get away. I spun around when I figured it out.

Alice shrieked. "What are you doing?"

I kept running. "It's this way. Just trust me," I ordered. I could hear them approaching and I spun to my right, taking a turn that seemed to lead to a dead-end. Alice growled and tried to back away, but I pressed my hand against one of the bricks and the wall began to move. Alice's jaw dropped open as the wall turned in to reveal a set of stairs. I pulled her through the crack and pushed it closed. We didn't bother running and simply jumped up the steps to the top of the staircase. We sprinted through the dark tunnel. The stone path tilted upward and I knew we were heading toward the surface. All we needed to do was avoid the other vampires.

I threw the rainbow shield ahead of us. There weren't any vampires on our left, but the others were going to hear us if we kept running. "Slow down," I ordered. "Act casual and keep your head down. We go left up ahead."

Alice gave me a penetrating stare and I looked at the ground. "I'll explain later, once we're safe." We came to a door. I couldn't hear Aro and the others behind us yet. I assumed they were still looking for us in the tunnels, but we didn't have much time before they figured out where we were. "Wait," I said, as Alice started to push open the door. I reached to my right and pulled two dark robes off the hooks next to the door. "Put this on," I told her, handing one of the robes to her. "We're too conspicuous," I explained, acknowledging our borrowed clothes. We slipped the robes on and put our hoods up.

We opened the door and stepped into a hallway. The stone walls were off-white, but the torches on the walls made them glow with eerie yellow light. Several exotic tapestries hung on either side of the halls. The floor was carpeted and also reflected the yellow light. We ducked our heads and walked swiftly down the hallway on our left. My lips pressed into a thin line as I searched for a way out.

"They got out?" We both slowed as we heard a questioning voice from behind us. "That's impossible."

"Well, apparently it _is_ possible!" Aro answered irately. "Find them!" he ordered. We heard the sound of approaching footsteps.

"Go!" I yelled, pushing Alice ahead. She stopped and turned around, unwilling to leave me.

"Found them!" I spun around as I heard Emmett's voice. He approached us slowly. "C'mon, Bella, let's just go back downstairs. Don't do anything-" I grabbed the torch beside me and threw it at him. "-stupid," he said, defeated, as the carpet in front of him caught fire. I knew that the tiny flames wouldn't be enough to stop him. I backed up and tore another torch off the wall. I then ripped the dark robe off me and held the torch up to it. The robe caught fire immediately. I threw it and the torch into the tapestries on the walls and watched as the flames grew up to the ceiling.

I whirled around and caught Alice's hand as she stared at me in disbelief. "Keep going. It'll take them a while to catch up to us again." We raced through the halls, desperately trying to find a way out.

"There's a door that leads out not too far from here!" Alice said with glee. She suddenly stopped running and dug her feet into the ground. "Jane!" she said in a screeching whisper.

"I won't let her hurt you," I said, but I paused as well. I could hear the distant sounds of pursuit. My eyes scanned the hall, looking for some other way out. I searched through the closest minds with my new ability, but I couldn't find any other exits. "We can take her," I said confidently.

Alice looked at me in disbelief. "Are you kidding me?"

"Think about it, Ali. Can you imagine that little brat learning how to fight without using her power to her advantage? We have her outnumbered and I can block her, no sweat," I implored her. I scanned the minds of the advancing vampires and realized we didn't have any more time. "Come on!" I ordered, grabbing her hand. She wouldn't budge. I tried not to be furious with her, but my emotions were getting out of hand. I struck the wall in my fury and watched in disbelief as the stone crumbled under the assault. I saw that the wall led outside. "Alright, we'll make our own exit." I smashed the wall again and slipped through the hole, pulling Alice behind me.

We raced out and saw that we'd exited from the back of the building. We took off running. Alice had to take two steps for every one of mine, but she was quick and I hardly had to slow down. We made it out onto the streets and whirled around, searching for the main opening of the stone wall around Volterra.

Alice froze. "No!" she shouted, and pushed me away from her, just as two vampires descended on us. I recognized them as Alec and Eleazar. They each grabbed one of her arms, while Eleazar wrapped his hand around her throat. Alice bucked and tried to get away, but they pushed her to the ground onto her knees. "Bella! Run!" Alice pleaded. I shook my head and prepared to launch myself at them.

"Ah, ah ,ah," a familiar voice chided from behind me. An arm went around my waist and pulled me flush against a warm chest. "If you move, Eleazar will rip Alice's head off." Edward embraced me and brought his lips down to my neck. I knew that in less than a second he could pull his lips back from his teeth and tear into my throat. As it was, he planted several kisses down to my collarbone. I shivered, revolted, but held still.

"You won't kill her," I told him, trying not to squirm. I kept my eyes locked on Alice's pained face, desperately trying to think of a way out.

Edward chuckled and his warm breath washed over my neck. "You're right, I won't. But it will hurt quite a bit when we reattach it, so I suggest you hold still and don't do anything stupid."

"Yeah, okay, stupid is more your area anyway," I snapped. He growled and ran his teeth over my neck; scratching it slightly and making it burn.

"I'm not in a good mood, so I suggest you keep your mouth shut, or I'll carry you back inside one piece at a time," he threatened. I shut my mouth as several other vampires appeared.

Aro was among them. I thought he would be furious with us, but he looked delighted. Felix and Demetri arrived and circled behind Edward and I. Demetri glared at me, but Felix pulled his hood down and winked. Edward turned around and growled at him.

As he turned, I spun out of his grip and punched him. I vaguely remembered taking self-defence classes; one of my mother's many phases. I had far from excelled in it, but I did learn how to throw a decent punch. Edward stumbled back as I pounced on Eleazar. Alice pushed Alec away and jumped to her feet, ready to fight. Felix and Demetri leapt on her and held her on the ground. Edward growled and launched himself at me. He was much faster than I thought. I fell onto my back with him on top of me. He and Eleazar held my wrists and arms as Alec held my legs. I bucked, trying to get him off

"Don't you dare, Bella! I'll tear Alice to pieces, I swear!" Edward threatened. The look in his eye told me he wasn't lying.

I wanted to hurt him. I reached into Edward's mind and plucked out the most painful thought I could find. "I hope your mother is burning in _hell_ for asking Carlisle to change you!"

Time seemed to stop and I realized that what I'd done was very stupid. I could have kept my new ability a secret, but now they would know that something was up. The unbearable pain that flashed through Edward's eyes didn't make up for my colossal mistake.

"What did you say?" Edward asked softly.

Oh well, if I was going to hell, I might as well do it thoroughly.

"You heard me!" I yelled. "If she hadn't been so busy trying to take care of _you_, she might have survived! I bet if she'd known what Carlisle was, she have rather you _died _than be turned into a _monster_!"

The pain in Edward's eyes was almost enough to make me regret my words, but I remembered the way he'd pinned me down and forced me to kiss him. I remembered him scaring Alice and threatening her just a moment before. Instead of feeling guilty, it just made me want to hurt him even more. I tried to hit him, but I was too tightly restrained. I snarled at him and struggled, trying to break free.

I saw red as my fury intensified. "It's your fault!" I screamed. "It's your fault that she's dead! It's your fault we're stuck here! I hate you! I hope you rot in _hell_ you _son of a bitch!_"

Edward's eyes darkened. "Shut up," he growled.

"Make me!" I yelled.

"Bella!" Alice shouted. I whipped my head to the side to look at her. Felix and Demetri held her arms. She looked frightened. "That's enough!" she ordered.

I was so used to listening to Alice that I calmed down immediately.

Edward grabbed my arm and pulled me to my feet. I tried not to look at him. We walked back inside, through the _door_ that time and fell into step beside Alice and her captors.

I gave Alice a subtle wink and made myself frown. "Nice going, Steve McQueen," I muttered sarcastically as we headed down the hall. "Next time you want to instigate a Great Escape, do you think you could give me a little warning?"

Alice caught on immediately. "I didn't exactly have enough time to plan it out," she snapped back.

"Well, maybe if you spent a little less time whining, we wouldn't have gotten caught!" I turned on her angrily.

"Oh, sure," Alice sneered. "This is all _my _fault! I didn't see you thinking up any escape plans!"

"Between your whining and trying to keep this jerk out of your head, I haven't had the time!"

Edward gave me a warning growl, but I ignored him.

Alice threw her head back and laughed. "This is a day for the history books! Bella Swan is actually complaining about taking care of someone! You'd think with all the practice you got from looking after that brain-dead mother of yours, you'd be used to it!"

I growled at her. "At least when my mother left my dad, she cared enough to take me with her instead of abandoning me in that stupid town!"

Alice snarled at me. "Are you implying that my dad doesn't care about me?"

I narrowed my eyes at her. "Why would he? He's got a new daughter, and a pair of double Ds on legs to keep him distracted."

"Shut up!" she said all but shrieked, her hands curling at her sides.

"Gladly," I said, looking away. I saw Alice's lip twitch upwards, but she quickly covered it up.

Our captors led us back into the tunnels below and deposited us back into Alice's cell. Alice and I positioned ourselves at the two farthest corners and waited until they left.

Alice breathed a sigh of relief. "They're gone. We can talk now. They won't be back for a while."

I walked over and sat down next to her. "Thank _god_!" I lamented. "I thought for sure you were gonna lose it."

"Double Ds on legs," Alice repeated, snickering. "Gosh, that was too good."

I flipped my hair back. "I know," I said arrogantly.

Alice reached out and smacked me. "You're lucky I'm brilliant, otherwise I would've thought you were really mad at me."

Alice and I used to have play-fights often. A year ago, in an effort to keep Charlie from checking up on me one night, we'd staged a fight just outside the front door while he'd listened from the living room. Charlie loved me, but watching me cry and doing the whole comforting thing was not his forte. He'd gone to bed at ten o'clock with no intensions of going near me until my emotions levelled off. At eleven, I'd snuck out and met up with Alice down at La Push. We hung out there with the Quileute boys for half the night. They had a bonfire going and we stayed up telling scary stories. Alice said that the Quileutes were the only people who didn't think she was weird. She said that they had a long history of magic and found her abilities to be fascinating. It didn't hurt that she was absolutely adorable either.

Thinking about the Quileutes made me think about Jacob…and his secret.

Jacob Black was the son of Billy Black, a good friend of my father. Billy would be almost as upset as Charlie when he found out that Alice and I had been taken. He'd always assumed that Jacob and I were going to hook up. The whole idea was a little too extreme for me, especially when I learned about something called _imprinting._

Imprinting was something a werewolf did.

Sam Uley had changed first. I'd been in La Push and had witnessed his change firsthand. I was fifteen, and I'd never been so scared or fascinated in all my life. One minute, Sam was arguing loudly with his father, a common occurrence, and the next, he'd transformed into a giant, black wolf right before my eyes.

Billy explained everything to me that day.

"_The wolves are the enemies of the Cold Ones…vampires. For many centuries, we kept our land safe from them. Once the Cold Ones left, the wolves were no longer needed and they died out. Sam's change is unusual. Something is coming, Bella, and we need to stop it. The vampires won't stay in their city for long."_

"_I thought they worked something out. They promised never to harm humans."_

"_Of course, but that was seventy years ago…"_

I'd never told anyone. Not even Alice had figured it out. She couldn't _see _the wolves for some reason. I was grateful. If Aro learned of Sam and the others, he would definitely wipe them out. I could never live with myself if Jacob died because of me.

"Bella?" Alice questioned, pulling me out of my thoughts. "Not that I don't love play-fighting with you, but why did we do it?"

I leaned my head back and smiled. "It's simple. Aro said so himself; we work together in synergy. Our cooperation is what makes us so powerful. If Edward and his cronies hadn't come back, I bet we could've made it out."

"We would have," Alice said, smiling wistfully. "I saw it. It was blurry and dark; that means it was an unlikely future, but I still saw it. We were together. We were happy." Alice gasped. "Our eyes were different, more golden than red. How could that be?"

I mulled it over. "I don't know. All the vampire stories say that they have red eyes." I shook my head. "We'll figure it out later, once we've escaped."

"How are we going to do that? They know what we're capable of now. They'll be watching us more carefully," Alice said dejectedly.

I smiled. "They know what we're capable of when we're working together, but we're mad at each other, remember? Angry vampires rarely cooperate well enough to get anything done."

Alice didn't look convinced. "So we had one little scuffle? I'm sure newborns have fights all the time. Anyway, won't it seem odd if we suddenly hate each other? Aro knows how much I care about you, and Edward knows how much you were willing to risk for me."

I smiled even wider. "And just now, they saw how quickly we can turn on each other." I turned to her excitedly as I told her my plan. "We'll pretend to be mad for a little while and then get over it. Aro will see that we can be pushed away from one another. He'll try to manipulate us into distancing ourselves from each other, but he'll still want to keep us close enough so that we can work together. All we have to do is play along and wait for another chance to escape. Once Aro starts trusting us a little more, I'm sure we'll be able to figure something out. All we need to do is be patient."

Alice's eyes lit up. "You really are a genius, you know? It's a good thing you're so kind-hearted. If you used your intelligence for evil, you'd make an awesome criminal mastermind."

I laughed. "Maybe someday." A thought struck me. "One more thing, try to downplay your visions. I'll keep Aro and Edward out of your head."

She nodded and then her eyes glazed over. "Heads up. They're coming back."

I quickly sped to the other side of the cell and sat down. I crossed my arms and faced away from Alice. I heard her laugh before she cleared her throat. I didn't dare look over at her. I knew she was mirroring my posture exactly and seeing it would send me into a fit of giggles.

While we waited, I considered what Alice had said. The ease at which I'd devised my plan was astounding. Though I'd never been stupid, I wasn't exactly known for my brilliance either. It made me worry. I wondered if this was a result of my change. Was it possible that all vampires thought as fast as I did? Did that mean my plan would fail simply because the others were all older and smarter than me?

I had to have faith. Alice trusted me to get us out. If that meant being smarter than our captors, then I would just have to learn quick. I already had the advantage of my new ability.

My new ability…god, I didn't even know what it _was_. It _scared _me! The ease at which I'd plucked Edward's deepest pain from his mind was too horrible to contemplate. It made me feel even worse than the time I'd snooped around Charlie's house for my Christmas presents when I was seven.

How was I even doing it? Alice had told me not three, (was it three?) days ago that I was so perceptive I was unnerving our vampire captors. At the time, I hadn't understood how noticing a subtle talent and remembering that Alice and I always had eggs whenever we slept over could freak out a group of monsters. The pain I'd seen in Edward's eyes made me reconsider. Knowledge _is _power after all.

My musings were interrupted as I heard the familiar sound of Edward's voice. Alice snarled in his direction when I flinched away.

"…impossible. She couldn't know that!" Edward said.

"Perhaps…" That was Carlisle. "Perhaps it's another talent. Eleazar can't see through her shield. Who _knows_ what kind of power she's hiding behind it?" He sounded excited.

"That's what worries me," Edward admitted.

Alice looked over at me speculatively. I motioned for her to turn away and she did so.

We both flinched as the door opened. Edward, Carlisle, Felix and Demetri stood outside.

Edward reached in and pulled me to my feet. I sulked as he led me outside into the hall. Demetri grabbed Alice a little tighter than necessary and she snarled at him. I gave him a dirty look.

"Demetri, please try not to antagonize them," Carlisle reproved. Demetri nodded and loosened his grip.

They led us to the exit we'd used when we'd escaped. "Where are we going?" I asked.

"You'll know when we get there," Demetri answered irritably.

"Alice?" I asked.

"Oh, you're speaking to me now?" she asked testily. Alice was always very good at playing the outraged friend.

I made myself sound fed up, but remorseful. "I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean to snap."

Demetri rolled his eyes. "Great, it's a hallmark moment."

"_Vada via cretino_," Alice and I said in harmony. We locked eyes and smirked.

Demetri snorted.

"We're going to see Aro," she said.

"Great," I muttered.

Carlisle gave her one of his searching gazes. The intensity of it was unnerving. I realized that he was smart, a lot smarter than the others. It was probably why he was in charge. Even Edward seemed to listen to him. I remembered what I'd screamed at Edward earlier; Carlisle had changed him. He'd also changed Emmett and…

I reluctantly searched through his mind. I didn't like invading his privacy. Carlisle was compassionate. My teeth began to worry my bottom lip as I thought about the implications.

Edward had been dying of Spanish Influenza when Carlisle changed him.

Esme had jumped off a cliff and broken her back after her son died.

Rosalie…I searched my memory for a face that belonged with the name and realized the blond girl who had kissed Emmett was probably her. She had been assaulted by…her husband? No, that wasn't right. Her fiancé. She'd been left for dead. Carlisle's memory of her broken and mangled body made me flinch in sympathy.

The last person he'd changed, Emmett, was found by Rosalie nearly mauled to death by a bear. She'd carried him fifty miles through the forest so that Carlisle could change him. That was over seventy years ago.

They were all human once. They'd lost their human lives, so Carlisle had given them new ones. He _cared _for them like they were his own children. I felt a sudden surge of sympathy for them.

I quickly squashed it.

I needed to think logically. Alice and I couldn't escape on our own, that had already been proven. So who were my allies?

Carlisle? Possibly, it depended on how close I could get to him. He seemed fascinated by me. I could use that.

Esme? She would follow Carlisle, I was sure.

Emmett? He seemed to like me, but then again, I _had _nearly set him on fire less than an hour ago. I wouldn't get my hopes up. He didn't seem very bright anyway.

Jasper? He seemed too sensitive for this life. Perhaps his attraction to Alice would lead him away. I wondered how Alice would feel about seducing him…

Speaking of seduction…Edward.

For some inexplicable reason, he was attracted to me. However, I couldn't see him being easily manipulated. Edward didn't get where he was without discipline. I visualized myself dressed up in red lingerie, sitting on his lap and kissing him. I was thankful that I couldn't blush anymore.

I risked a glance at Demetri and Felix. Demetri was out; he didn't seem too thrilled with us. Felix on the other hand…

He turned his head slightly and winked at me again. Edward muttered a word that would have sent my mother running for the dish soap if she heard it come out of my mouth. I laughed and he growled at me. I quickly shut my mouth, yet I couldn't help but smirk.

We arrived at a set of very familiar doors. Felix stepped forward and opened them. I looked at Alice, gauging from her expression that she was worried. That was never a good sign. My smirk disappeared.

The room was just as I remembered it, only it seemed like all the edges and designs had been sharpened to laser-like precision. I scanned the room for any escapes. There were no windows or ventilation shafts. The only door was the one we came through and it was immediately flanked by four large, burly vampires. I weighed the likelihood of Alice and me taking them out and making a run for it.

Alice looked over to the left, and then to the right. I was pretty sure I was the only one who was aware that she was shaking her head. We needed to be more subtle if we were going to outsmart everyone, which meant I should probably stop scoping out the room like a CIA agent.

We stopped in the center of the room, right in front of the thrones. Felix and Demetri stood behind Alice while Edward and Carlisle stayed next to me. The brothers weren't there yet, so I took the opportunity to observe the _other_ vampires.

God, I would never get used to that.

Jasper stood in the far corner. He seemed disappointed. Esme, Emmett and who I could only assume was Rosalie stood next to him. Emmett gave me a wry grin, and I realized that there were no hard feelings between us. Rosalie, on the other hand, glared at me with loathing. I could cross her off my list of possible allies. She obviously wasn't as amused by my fire-starting as Emmett.

Most of the vampires around us appeared hostile. The rest were either curious or utterly bored. I saw Alice checking them out as well. "Just like high school, huh?" I muttered.

"Lauren Mallory would put them to shame," she muttered back. "She's probably thrilled that Tyler Crowley can't stare at you anymore."

"With all the glaring she does, I'd be surprised if she can even smile without her face cracking in half," I quipped, ignoring the vampires around me.

Alice gave me a smile. "It'd almost be worth getting roasted alive if we got to see that." I smiled back.

I felt something prod at my shield and whipped my head around. I locked eyes with a startled brunette. I felt another prod and turned away, annoyed. I stretched out with my new shield and tried to learn something about the woman. I closed my eyes.

Her name was Chelsea. She could sense and manipulate relational ties between people, but she couldn't get past my shield. She was responsible for making vampires feel bonded to the Volturi while destroying their ties to their family and friends. It certainly explained why Edward and the others obeyed Aro with lover-like devotion. It was a very useful talent.

In my mind's eye, I saw Alice shift. I quickly looked over at her, knowing that she was as comfortable with staying still as I was. She frowned and tilted her head up slightly. I tried to figure out what she meant, but I was worried that she wouldn't like me picking around her brain any more than I already had. I guessed that she meant I should look alert, so I tried to. She gave me a quick smile, and I knew I'd guessed right.

I became aware of the reason when I heard the light sounds of the brothers' approach. Alice must have seen them coming. The other vampires all turned just a second after I did. Edward still hadn't released my arm, but I didn't think too much of it. I doubted he would ever trust me.

The doors opened and I narrowed my eyes at the brothers. Whereas before I'd only noticed Aro, now I studied Caius and Marcus with the same intensity.

I was mistaken earlier. Caius wasn't nearly as old as I'd thought he was. I hadn't gotten a good look at him before, but he was obviously younger than thirty when he was changed. His youth almost disguised the cruelty that showed on his face.

Marcus did appear his age, and he wasn't as pleasant looking as most vampires. He looked utterly bored. My rainbow shield reached out automatically and I realized that he was also sad…miserable. His mate, Didyme, had been killed centuries ago. I felt a sudden wave of sympathy for him, but quickly tried to squash it when I saw Jasper raise an eyebrow at me. Edward turned his head away from the brothers to look at me. I tried to ignore his penetrating stare.

Caius and Marcus sat down in their thrones, but Aro continued down the steps until he was in front of Alice and me. His red eyes were milky. I wondered if it affected his vision. He looked back and forth between us, his expression caught between amusement and frustration.

"I must admit, ladies, you have far surpassed my expectations," he began, his feather soft voice echoing through the silent room. That was unanticipated. I'd almost been hoping he would be angry with us. Maybe then he'd just end it.

My own morbid thoughts startled me. Was that the best we could hope for if my plan didn't succeed? A quick death? Granted, I didn't think Aro would kill us. He was greedy. All he cared about was power. I didn't even have to use my new perception to know that. Edward's statement that Alice and I were _valuable_ reverberated inside my head. Now that I thought about it, we _were _a great asset. A girl who could see the enemy's moves before they made them and a girl who could block any mental attacks. Edward really lucked out when he found us.

Aro drifted closer to Alice and I had the sudden urge to growl at him. I wondered if this was what a mother lioness felt like when a predator was near her young. Even though Alice was almost three months older than me, I'd always felt like the adult.

Aro touched her cheek briefly, even as Alice flinched away. Edward tightened his grip on me unnecessarily. He obviously didn't think I could watch my temper. That gave me the strength to keep calm.

Aro shook his head. "Isabella," he whispered reprovingly as he realized that he couldn't read Alice's mind. "I fear you're going to be the death of me," he said, dropping his hand from Alice's face and turning toward me.

"One can always hope," I answered, my voice almost sweet. I smiled as I heard several hisses from the vampires around me. I felt a much more unpleasant prod at my shield and smirked. "Nice try, Jane," I taunted.

Jane growled at me. Aro gave the blond vampire a stern glare and looked back at me. The amusement was prominent on his face. "I'm so glad that the change hasn't ruined your sense of humour," he said, gliding toward me, his palms rubbing together. I forced myself not to back away.

"Or," Aro continued, "Your exceptional talent." He briefly touched my cheek and sighed. "Such a remarkable ability, and it is so amazing how easily you control it. However, it has come to my attention that you may be hiding something else behind that shield of yours." He smiled at me like a friendly grandfather. I barely restrained myself from spitting at him. I was pretty sure that wouldn't go over too well with him, and I didn't want Alice to be left alone.

I'd never been a very good liar, but that was mostly because I'd always blushed at the end of every fib. Luckily, I no longer had that problem.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I told him, my voice even. If he thought I was going to cooperate, he had another thing coming.

Aro smiled grimly. "It seems you have knowledge of an event that took place several decades before you were born. I'm quite curious as to how you have obtained this information," he pressed.

I took a breath through my nose. "Oh, you mean about Edward's mother? That was nothing. I just figured that he had mommy issues. You ever see _Psycho_, Edward?" I asked, smirking. Edward tightened his grip on my arm almost to the point of pain. I clenched my fists in response.

Aro sighed as if he'd expected nothing less, but was still disappointed. "Felix," he said softly.

Before I could move, before I could even blink, Edward and Carlisle had dragged me halfway across the room. I struggled, but the two vampires held on tightly. Then I heard the most horrible sound ever.

Alice started to scream.

For a maddening sixty-fourth of a second, I thought that Jane had somehow slipped through my shield, but as I looked at Alice, I saw that it was Felix who had hurt her. He had ripped her right arm out of her socket. It swung next to her body like a macabre pendulum, held on by mere inches of flesh. I saw Jasper flinch in pain and watched out of the corner of my eye as Emmett restrained him.

"_STOP IT!_" I shrieked, my voice sounding musical even when it was so filled with pain. I didn't care about seeming weak anymore, or about protecting my secret. All I wanted was for Alice to be alright. "_Please!_ I'll tell you! Just stop hurting her!"

Aro smiled at me again and held out a hand just as Felix was about to take off Alice's other arm. I watched as he dropped her to the ground, clutching at her arm and sobbing tearlessly.

Felix definitely didn't qualify as an ally. In fact, he'd be lucky if I didn't kill him myself.

My fury increased and I began searching through the minds of the Volturi leaders for anything I could use against them.

I struck gold.

I knew Aro was a greedy bastard, but _this_, this was just too horrible. How could anyone do that to someone they were supposed to love?

Aro had killed his sister; Marcus's mate; Didyme.

Didyme had been changed by Aro. He had hoped that she would possess an ability as powerful as his. He was disappointed. Didyme had gained the ability to make people happy. It was useless in the eyes of her brother, and it became a threat to him when she fell in love with Marcus. Marcus' ability to sense relationships was strongly coveted by Aro. After a few years together, they had tried to leave the Volturi.

Aro pretended to agree, but secretly murdered his own sister so that he could keep Marcus. He had then used Chelsea to make Marcus feel loyal to him, turning his brother-in-law into a zombie.

He really was a monster.

"I'll tell him," I said to Aro, my voice like acid.

He tilted his head to the side, a patronizing smile on his face. "Tell who, what, my dear?"

"I'll tell your brother what you did to her."

I must have been a horrible person, because when I saw his smug expression disappear, and understanding begin to dawn on his pale, onion skinned face, I smiled.

"If you ever hurt her again, I'll tell him what you did," I threatened. It must have been killing Aro to have his followers see how weak and pathetic he really was. His eyes flashed up to Edward's face. He stiffened and gripped my arm. Aro nodded once. The silent conversation was oddly reminiscent of one of mine and Alice's.

"We'll discuss this later, Bella. Felix, bring Alice back downstairs," Aro ordered. "I must confer with my brothers on what to do about you two."

Alice growled as Felix lifted her back up. Her arm still hung loosely at her side. She touched it tentatively and hissed. "You're going to regret that," she said. I knew that tone. She'd seen something bad happen to Felix. I tried not to feel so elated as I realized this.

Edward pulled me toward the doors. I fell into step next to Alice. Felix dragged her roughly to the right with Demetri following behind. I stopped. "Where are you taking me?" I asked, glaring at Edward.

"To my room," he answering, pulling my arm to get me moving again.

"Why?" I demanded, still walking.

"Why do you ask so many questions?" he shot back.

"I like knowing the answers." I kept walking quickly, much faster than any human could move. I hated that I could do that. I hated that I was a monster. I hated them all.

I was going to get back at them.

Edward stopped and opened his door. I searched through the room much like I had the first time I had been brought here. I studied the walls with my new eyes and saw details that I never could have imagined. I saw each dot of paint, the tiny cracks on the walls. I looked at the couch, remembering what he had done do me.

_I think I can find something much more enjoyable for your mouth to do._

_You're disgusting! Despicable! I hate you! You-_

I remembered his lips over mine, rock hard and desperate, as if he had never imagined anything could feel so good. My own weak, pathetic struggles.

_You're so warm. So soft. And you're all mine._

I brought my hand up to my neck and traced the bite mark. I remembered screaming, crying out wordlessly for someone to help me. I remembered his loud moans as he drank my blood. I understood better now what he had felt. I remembered when he pulled away, staring down at me, licking his lips. I remembered shutting my mouth, whimpering softly but determined not to scream, not to give him the satisfaction.

"You tasted very good by the way," Edward whispered into my ear. His lips began to trace my jaw and I spun around, furious.

"Don't you _dare _touch me, not after what you did!" I backed up.

"And, what did I do?" Edward teased as he stepped closer. That horrible smirk was back on his face.

I backed up another step, not liking the look in his eyes. "You-you _kissed _me…without my permission. That-that's assault-" Edward cut me off with a chuckle.

"You didn't seem too intent on stopping me. You barely even put up a fight."

For a fraction of a second, my mouth hung open, and then I got angry. I glared at him and marched forward until I was right in his face. "I fought as hard as I could! I just wasn't strong enough!" I yelled.

Edward smiled wider. "You don't have that problem anymore. Maybe you should thank me for that," he suggested. He then took my face in his hands and brought his lips down to mine.

I pulled back and slapped him. His head snapped to the left. I backed away as he closed his eyes and touched his cheek gingerly. A small crack was visible on his otherwise flawless face. I watched as it healed quickly.

"In case my remarks about your mother burning in hell were too subtle for you, I don't want you! I hate you! You make me sick! How can you possibly expect me to feel any other way after what you've done?" I growled at him, hate making my shield circle around me rapidly.

Edward turned to glare at me. "You really shouldn't have done that," he growled. He crouched down and launched himself at me. Once again, he was faster than I expected, and I landed on the couch with him hovering over me. He grinned. "I bet you think you're pretty smart."

I squirmed, trying to wiggle out from under him, but every time I moved, he adjusted his position. "The thought _has _crossed my mind," I taunted.

Edward didn't seem to find my joke very funny. "Do you have any idea what will happen if Marcus finds out what happened to his dearly beloved?" he hissed. He didn't give me a chance to answer. "Caius has been waiting centuries for the chance to replace Aro. If he were to find out what had happened to Didyme, he would use it to get Marcus on his side. If Caius succeeds, the vampires are going to get a lot more freedom. You wouldn't want to be responsible for the deaths of thousands of innocent people, now would you?" he mocked, brushing my hair back from my face.

I glared at him, knowing that he was right, knowing that Caius was every bit the tyrant Edward said he was, but also knowing that Aro wasn't much better.

"Aro is a psychopath," I declared, bucking my hips in another fruitless attempt to get Edward off me. He adjusted again so that his knee dug into my stomach with all of his weight. It made it difficult to use the air stored in my lungs to speak. "He's charming at first, but it's all a manipulation. He's even more dangerous than Caius because of it. I saw inside his head. He's a monster. He doesn't care about anyone but himself and he's willing to sacrifice his own family to gain power."

"You saw inside his head? Now how could you do that?" Edward asked.

"Don't change the subject!" I ordered, even though I wasn't even sure what the subject was.

Edward traced the bite mark on my neck, staring at it with unnerving intensity. "I want to know what's going on inside that head of yours."

I weighed my options, knowing that there wasn't much I could do to stop them if they threatened Alice again. I couldn't tell Marcus about Didyme.

Not yet anyway.

Maybe if I could get Caius out of the picture, then my plan would work, not that I had much of a plan. I still didn't know if I had any allies.

I stared into Edward's red eyes, determined not to show any fear despite my compromising position. "I don't know exactly how I did it," I told him. "I've always been very…perceptive."

Edward backed away slightly and let me sit up. I did so gratefully. He didn't move away from me, though. His right hand stayed on the back of my neck. I hoped he wasn't going to try to kiss me again.

"I woke up, and my shield, it was different. It changes colours sometimes, and when it does…it's like I can figure out the answers to all my questions."

"Such as?" Edward pressed.

I looked down. "When I was still-" I flinched, remembering the sensation with perfect clarity. "-burning. I heard Emmett's voice, but I couldn't remember who he was, so I just…" I drifted off, wondering how I could explain it. I wasn't even sure what I _had _done. "I wanted to know who he was, and my shield just…reacted. It surrounded him, and I heard his name in my head."

"Forgetting things like that isn't uncommon during the change. I thought it was unusual that you remembered so much," Edward told me.

I laughed bitterly. "Great, I'm an _unusual _vampire, a freak of the freaks."

Edward smiled at me the way a friend would and I realized we were sitting closer than before. "Very unusual," Edward repeated.

"Why do you like me?" I asked. The question had been bugging me since I first realized what he wanted with me. I could have just sought the answer out with my shield, but I didn't want to invade his privacy any more than I already had.

"What's not to like?" he replied. He raised a hand and ran his fingers down my cheek. "You're kind, and smart, and selfless." He leaned in closer, his warm breath washing over my face. He smelled like honey and lilac and sunshine. His lips brushed against mine and I suddenly remembered that I was supposed to hate him.

I jerked away and ran to the door. Just as my hand was reaching for the doorknob, Edward grabbed my shoulders and spun me around. My back was pressed against the only exit. Edward looked furious. I looked away from him, trying to keep Alice's face in my mind. He had threatened her. He had held me back as she was hurt. He had kidnapped us from our homes and our families.

My eyes widened as I realized that I hadn't thought of my parents in so long. I tried to conjure up their faces, and was relieved when I could. They were blurry and badly lit, but that was the same with all of my human memories.

Edward grabbed my chin and made me look at him. I glared at his red eyes and his perfect face. What right did he have to look like an angel when he was such a monster underneath?

"What do you think you're doing?" he asked.

"I want to see Alice," I answered.

He narrowed his eyes. "I want you to stay here."

"Why?" I asked, twisting my head to the side as I tried to loosen his grip.

"Because," he said, leaning in closer to my face.

I pushed him away. "I'm leaving." I pulled open the door only for Edward to slam it shut and grab my arm.

"You're staying until I say so. Now get back on the couch, and let's continue from where we left off." He yanked me closer to him and I brought a hand up to slap him. He was quicker this time and caught my wrist. "You cut that out, Bella! I'm drawing the line!"

_I'm drawing the line!_

The words echoed inside my head, bouncing off the sides of my skull. My shield changed colours and suddenly I was somewhere else.

I could still feel Edward's hands digging into my skin. I could make out that he was saying something to me in a desperate voice, but I couldn't see him.

"_I'm drawing the line, son," a man with dark brown hair and hazel eyes is saying. We are sitting at a table. It is dark out. A woman with bronze hair and green eyes looks on with barely concealed fear. "You're not signing up for the army."_

_I feel my mouth move, even though I know I should just stay quiet. "But, father, I-"_

_The man, my father, no, _Edward's_ father looks up. His eyes are cruel, his face severe. "Are you talking back to me?"_

"_No, but…all of my friends have signed up. They are all fighting for this country. None of them are much older than me. I can do something…make a difference…" I trail off as my father stands up._

"_You stop this nonsense now," he says. He walks over to where I'm sitting and grabs my hair. He yanks me to my feet. My skull feels like it's burning. "I'm drawing the line. I don't want to hear another word about this. Do you understand me?"_

_I look away. "Yes."_

_He smacks me with the back of his hand. My mother gasps and moves to comfort me, but my father shoots her a withering glare and she sits back down. "Yes, what?" my father asks._

"_Yes, sir," I acquiesce._

I gasped and pulled away from Edward. I couldn't stop panting even though I didn't need to breathe anymore. I let out a tearless sob and sat on the couch. I grabbed two huge hunks of my hair and dropped my head to my knees, shaking.

Edward moved to my side and placed his hand on my back. "What's wrong with you?" he asked, his voice somewhere between annoyed and concerned.

I took a shuddering breath. "I'm so sorry. He had no right to treat you like that. I'm so _sorry!_" I sat up and wrapped my arms around his torso.

He reached down and removed my arms. He took my face in his hands and brought it up to his. "What are you talking about?" he whispered.

I shook my head. "I didn't mean to do it. I didn't want to invade your privacy, but I _saw _it. I saw your father. I'm so sor-"

He cut me off by jumping to his feet. His expression was wild with fury. "You shut up!" he yelled, pointing a shaking finger at me. "You don't know anything. My father was a good man! He taught me how to be strong."

"By hitting you?" I asked. "By humiliating you? Your mother was terrified of him, Edward!"

I didn't even see his hand move, but somehow, I ended up on the floor with my cheek stinging. The couch was tipped over next to me. I got up slowly, suddenly aware that this Edward was dangerous, that he might even kill me. Any semblance of kindness we'd shared was gone. I hesitantly looked up at him.

He was tugging his hair and pacing manically. He stopped and locked eyes with me. His eyes turned dark red as he looked at me. "I don't want to hear another word about this. Do you understand me?"

His words echoed his father's exactly, and I answered the way Edward had when he was young. "Yes, sir."

I saw a flicker of recognition in Edward's eyes before he pulled me to my feet. I allowed him to lead me through the halls and down into the tunnels. I didn't look at him or even speak as he opened the door to Alice's cell and shoved me inside.

-

Well, this only took five months. Some of these scenes just seemed to write themselves, like the dash to freedom. I had _no_ idea that was going to happen. I hope it was realistic and that you could follow it. It looked pretty awesome when I visualized it.

I'd just like to give a shout out to jmchle. She sent me a private message that gave me the motivation to finish the next chapter by the end of this week. I'm cutting it pretty close, but at least it's posted.

I'll talk to you guys later.


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